*     «v 


.. 


U 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

GIFT  OF 

Lt.   Col.  George  Iflhite 


AMITABHA 


A    STORY    OF 


BUDDHIST  THEOLOGY 


BY 

PAUL  CARUS 


MANIFESTING  HIMSELF  EVERYWHERE  THE  BUDDHA 
OF  BLISS  IS  INFINITE,  BOUNDLESS,  LIMITLESS,  UN 
CEASING,  AND  OF  A  SPIRITUAL  NATURE. 

AgVAGHOSHA    IN    HIS    "DISCOURSE    ON    THE 
AWAKENING    OF    FAITH." 


CHICAGO 

THE  OPEN  COURT  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 

LONDON  AGENTS 
KEGAN  PAUL,  TRENCH,  TRUBNER  &  Co.,  LTD. 

1906 


COPYRIGHT  BY 

THE  OPEN  COURT  PUBLISHING  Co. 
1906. 


C  37 


THE  ORDINATION.1 

SOON  after  the  time  of  Aqoka,  the  great 
Buddhist  emperor  of  the  third  century  be 
fore  Christ,  India  became  the  theater  of  pro 
tracted  invasions  and  wars.  Vigorous  tribes 
from  the  North  conquered  the  region  of  the 
upper  Panjab  and  founded  several  states, 
among  which  the  Kingdom  of  Gandhara  be 
came  most  powerful.  Despoliations,  epidem 
ics,  and  famines  visited  the  valley  of  the  Gan 
ges,  but  all  these  tribulations  passed  over  the 
religious  institutions  without  doing  them  any 
harm.  Kings  lost  their  crowns  and  the  wealthy 
their  riches,  but  the  monks  chanted  their 
hymns  in  the  selfsame  way.  Thus  the  storm 
breaks  down  mighty  trees,  but  only  bends  the 
yielding  reed. 

By  the  virtues,  especially  the  equanimity 
and  thoughtfulness,  of  the  Buddhist  priests, 
the  conquerors  in  their  turn  were  spiritually 

977 


2  AMITABHA. 

conquered  by  the  conquered,  and  they  embraced 
the  religion  of  enlightenment.  They  recog 
nised  the  four  noble  truths  taught  by  the  Tat- 
hagata :  ( i )  the  prevalence  of  suffering  which 
is  always  in  evidence  in  this  world;  (2)  the 
origin  of  suffering  as  rising  from  the  desire 
of  selfishness;  (3)  the  possibility  of  emanci 
pation  from  suffering  by  abandoning  all  selfish 
clinging;  and  (4)  the  way  of  salvation  from 
evil  by  walking  in  the  noble  eightfold  path  of 
moral  conduct,  consisting  in  right  comprehen 
sion,  right  aspiration,  right  speech,  right  con 
duct,  right  living,  right  endeavor,  right  dis 
cipline,  and  the  attainment  of  the  right  bliss. 

When  the  kingdom  of  Gandhara  had  been 
firmly  established,  commerce  and  trade  began 
to  thrive  more  than  ever,  while  the  viharas, 
or  Buddhist  monasteries,  continued  to  be  the 
home  of  religious  exercises,  offering  an  asylum 
to  those  who  sought  retirement  from  the  tur 
moil  of  the  world  for  the  sake  of  finding  peace 
of  soul. 

It  was  in  one  of  these  viharas  in  the  moun 
tains  near  Purushaputra,  the  present  Pesha- 
wur,  that  Charaka,  a  descendant  of  the  North- 


THK  ORDINATION.  3 

ern  invaders,  had  decided  to  join  the  brother 
hood.2  He  was  as  yet  little  acquainted  with 
the  spirit  and  purpose  of  the  institution;  but 
being  very  serious  and  devoutly  religious,  the 
youth  had  decided,  for  the  sake  of  attaining 
perfect  enlightenment,  to  give  up  everything 
dear  to  him,  his  parents,  his  home,  his  brilliant 
prospect  of  a  promising  future,  and  the  love 
that  was  secretly  budding  in  his  heart. 

The  vihara  which  Charaka  entered  was  ex 
cavated  in  the  solid  rock  of  an  idyllic  gorge. 
A  streamlet  gurgled  by,  affording  to  the  her 
mits  abundance  of  fresh  water,  and  the  monks 
could  easily  sustain  their  lives  by  the  gifts  of 
the  villagers  who  lived  near  by,  to  which  they 
added  the  harvest  of  fruit  and  vegetables  which 
grew  near  their  cave  dwellings.  In  the  midst 
of  their  small  cells  was  a  large  chaitya,  a  hall 
or  church,  in  which  they  assembled  for  daily 
services,  for  sermons,  meditations,  and  other 
pious  exercises. 

The  chaitya,  like  the  cells,  was  hewn  out  of 
the  living  rock;  a  row  of  massive  columns  on 
either  side  divided  the  hall  into  a  central  nave 
and  two  aisles. 


4  AMITABHA. 

The  ornaments  that  covered  the  faces  of  the 
rocky  walls,  though  the  product  of  home  talent, 
being  made  by  the  untrained  hands  of  monk 
artists,  did  not  lack  a  certain  refinement  and 
loftiness.  The  pictures  exhibited  scenes  from 
the  life  of  Buddha,  his  birth,  his  deeds,  his  mir 
acles,  illustrations  of  his  parables,  his  sermons, 
and  his  final  entry  into  Nirvana. 

A  procession  of  monks,  preceded  by  a  leader 
who  swung  a  censer,  filed  in  through  the  large 
portal  of  the  chaitya.  Two  by  two  they  moved 
along  the  aisles  and  solemnly  circumambulated 
the  dagoba,  standing  at  the  end  of  the  nave  in 
the  apse  of  the  hall,  just  in  the  place  where  ido) 
worshipers  would  erect  an  altar  to  their  gods 
It  was  in  imitation  of  a  tumulus  destined  to  re 
ceive  some  relic  of  the  revered  teacher,  and  the 
genius  of  the  architect  had  artfully  designed 
the  construction  of  the  cave  so  that  the  rays 
of  the  sun  fell  upon  the  dagoba  and  surrounded 
its  mysterious  presence  with  a  halo  of  light. 

The  monks  intoned  a  solemn  chant,  and  its 
long-drawn  cadences  filled  the  hall  with  a  spirit 
of  sanctity,  impressing  the  hearers  as  though 
Buddha  himself  had  descended  on  its  notes 


THE  ORDINATION.  5 

from  his  blissful  rest  in  Nirvana  to  instruct, 
to  convert,  and  to  gladden  his  faithful  dis 
ciples. 

The  monks  chanted  a  hymn,  of  which  the 
novice  could  catch  some  of  the  lines  as  they 
were  sung ;  and  these  were  the  words  that  rang 
in  his  ears: 

"In  the  mountain  hall  we  are  taking  our  seats, 
In  solitude  calming  the  mind ; 
Still  are  our  souls,  and  in  silence  prepared 
By  degrees  the  truth  to  find." 

When  they  had  circumambulated  the  da- 
goba,  they  halted  in  front  of  it  where  the  nov 
ice  now  discovered  an  image  of  the  Buddha 
in  the  attitude  of  teaching,  and  the  monks 
spoke  in  chorus: 

"I  am  anxious  to  lead  a  life  of  purity  to  the 
end  of  my  earthly  career  when  my  life  will  re 
turn  to  the  precious  trinity  of  the  Buddha,  the 
Truth  and  the  Brotherhood." 

Then  the  chanting  began  again: 

"Vast  as  the  sea 
Our  heart  shall  be, 
And  full  of  compassion  and  love. 
Our  thoughts  shall  soar 


6  AMITABHA. 

Forevermore 

High,  like  the  mountain  dove. 

"We  anxiously  yearn 
From  the  Master  to  learn, 
Who  found  the  path  of  salvation. 
We  follow  His  lead 
Who  taught  us  to  read 
The  problem  of  origination.3" 

A  venerable  old  monk  who  performed  the 
duties  of  abbot  now  stepped  forth  and  asked 
the  assembled  brethren  whether  any  one  had 
a  communication  to  make  that  deserved  the 
attention  of  the  assemblage,  and  after  the  ques 
tion  had  been  repeated  three  times  Subhuti, 
one  of  the  older  monks,  said: 

"There  is  a  young  man  with  us  who,  having 
left  the  world,  stayed  with  me  some  time  for 
the  sake  of  instruction  and  discipline.  He  is 
here  and  desires  to  be  admitted  to  the  brother 
hood." 

The  abbot  replied :  "Let  him  come  forward." 

It  was  Charaka;  and  when  he  stepped  into 
the  midst  of  the  brethren,  the  abbot  viewed  his 
tall  figure  with  a  kindly,  searching  glance  and 


THK  ORDINATION.  7 

asked :  "What  is  your  name  and  what  your 

desire?" 

Charaka  knelt  down  and  said  with  clasped 
hands:  "My  name  is  Charaka.  I  entreat  the 
Brotherhood  for  initiation.  May  the  Brother 
hood  receive  me  and  raise  me  up  to  their 
height  of  spiritual  perfection.  Have  compas 
sion  on  me,  reverend  sirs,  and  grant  my  re 
quest." 

The  abbot  then  asked  the  supplicant  a  series 
of  questions  as  prescribed  in  the  regulations 
of  the  brotherhood :  whether  he  was  free  from 
contagious  disease,  whether  he  was  a  human 
being,  a  man,  and  of  age,  whether  his  own  mas 
ter  and  not  a  slave  nor  in  the  king's  service; 
whether  unencumbered  with  debts  and  whose 
disciple  he  was. 

When  all  the  questions  had  been  answered 
satisfactorily,  the  abbot  submitted  the  case  to 
the  brotherhood,  saying:  "Reverend  sirs,  the 
Brotherhood  may  hear  me.  This  man  Cha 
raka,  a  disciple  of  the  venerable  Subhuti,  de 
sires  to  receive  the  ordination.  He  is  free 
from  all  obstacles  to  ordination.  He  has  an 
alms-bowl  and  a  yellow  robe,  and  entreats  the 


8  AMITABHA. 

Brotherhood  for  ordination,  with  the  reverent 
brother  Subhuti  as  his  teacher.  Let  those 
among  the  venerable  brethren  who  are  in  favor 
of  granting  the  ordination  be  silent.  Let  those 
who  are  opposed  to  it  step  forth  and  speak." 

These  words  were  three  times  repeated,  and 
as  there  was  no  dissenting  voice,  the  abbot 
declared  with  solemnity:  "The Brotherhood  in 
dicates  by  its  silence  that  it  grants  to  Charaka 
the  ordination,  with  the  reverend  brother  Sub 
huti  as  his  teacher." 

Having  completed  the  ceremony  and  having 
recited  the  rules  of  the  order  including  the 
four  great  prohibitions,  viz.,  that  an  ordained 
monk  must  abstain  from  carnal  indulgence, 
from  theft  of  any  kind,  from  killing  even  the 
meanest  creature,  and  from  boasts  of  mirac 
ulous  powers,  the  abbot  requested  the  novice 
to  pronounce  the  refuge  formula,  which  Cha 
raka  repeated  three  times  in  a  clear  and  ringing 
voice.  Then  the  congregation  again  intoned 
a  chant,  and,  having  circumambulated  the  da- 
goba,  left  the  assembly  hall,  marching  in  sol 
emn  procession  along  the  aisles,  each  brother 
thereupon  betaking  himself  to  his  cell. 


THE  NOVICE. 

H ARAKA  the  novice  lived  with  his  breth- 
ren  in  peace,  and  his  senior,  the  venerable 
Subhuti,  was  proud  of  his  learned  disciple,  for 
he  was  patient,  docile,  modest,  earnest,  and 
intelligent,  and  proved  all  these  good  qualities 
by  an  abnormally  rapid  progress.  He  learned 
the  Sutras  perfectly  and  soon  knew  them  better 
than  his  teacher.  He  had  a  sonorous  voice, 
and  it  was  a  pleasure  to  hear  him  recite  the 
sacred  formulas  or  chant  the  verses  proclaim 
ing  the  glorious  doctrine  of  the  Blessed  One. 
To  all  appearances  the  Brotherhood  had  made 
a  good  acquisition;  but  if  the  venerable  Sub 
huti  could  have  looked  into  the  heart  of  Cha- 
raka  he  would  have  beheld  a  different  state  of 
things,  for  the  soul  of  the  novice  was  full 
of  impatience,  dissatisfaction,  and  excitement. 
The  life  of  a  monk  was  so  different  from  what 


10  AMITABHA. 

he  had  expected  and  his  dearest  hopes  found 
no  fulfilment. 

Charaka  had  learned  many  beautiful  senti 
ments  from  the  mouth  of  his  teacher;  some  of 
them  fascinated  him  by  the  melodious  intona 
tion  of  their  rhythm,  some  by  the  philosoph 
ical  depth  of  their  meaning,  some  by  their 
truth  and  lofty  morality.  How  delighted  was 
he  with  the  lines: 

"Earnestness  leads  to  the  State  Immortal ; 
Thoughtlessness  is  dreary  Yama's  portal. 
Those  who  earnest  are  will  never  die, 
While  the  thoughtless  in  death's  clutches  lie."* 

How  powerfully  was  he  affected  by  the  fol 
lowing  stanza: 

"With  goodness  meet  an  evil  deed, 
With  lovingkindness  conquer  wrath, 
With  generosity  quench  greed, 
And  lies,  by  walking  in  truth's  path."5 

But  sometimes  he  was  startled  and  had  diffi 
culty  in  understanding  the  sense.  He  wanted 
peace,  not  tranquilisation ;  he  wanted  Nirvana, 
its  bliss,  and  its  fulness,  not  extinction.  And 
yet  sometimes  it  seemed  as  if  the  absolute  ob 
literation  of  his  activity  were  expected  of  him : 


THE  NOVICE.  11 

"Only  if  like  a  broken  gong 
Thou  utterest  no  sound : 
Then  hast  thou  reached  Nirvana, 
And  the  end  of  strife  hast  found."6 

Yet  Charaka  said  to  himself :  "It  is  only  the 
boisterous  noise  that  must  be  suppressed,  not 
work;  only  evil  intention,  not  life  itself;  the 
weeds,  not  the  wheat."    For  it  is  said: 
"What  should  be  done,  ye  do  it, 
Nor  let  pass  by  the  day : 
With  vigor  do  your  duty, 
And  do  it  while  you  may."7 

Not  life,  but  error  and  vice,  must  be  at 
tacked.  Not  existence  is  evil,  but  vanity,  an 
ger,  and  sloth: 

"As  fields  are  damaged  by  a  bane, 
So  'tis  conceit  destroys  the  vain. 
As  palaces  are  burned  by  fire, 
The  angry  perish  in  their  ire. 
And  as  strong  iron  is  gnawed  by  rust, 
So  fools  are  wrecked  through  sloth  and  lust."8 

What  ambition  was  beaming  in  the  eyes  of 
Charaka!  The  venerable  Subhuti  thought, 
there  is  but  one  danger  for  this  noble  novice: 
it  is  this,  that  the  brethren  may  discover  his 
brightness  and  spoil  him  by  flattery.  Instead 


12  AMITABHA. 

of  freeing  himself  from  the  fetters  of  the 
world,  he  may  be  entangled  in  the  meshes  of 
a  spiritual  vanity,  which,  being  more  subtle, 
is  more  perilous  than  the  lust  of  the  world  and 
of  its  possessions.  Then  he  recited  to  Cha- 
raka  the  lines: 

"No  path  anywhere 
Leadeth  through  the  air. 
The  multitude  delights 
In  sacrificial  rites. 
Throughout  the  world 
Ambition  is  unfurled ; 
But  from  all  vanity 
Tathagatas  are  free."9 

Charaka  knew  that  there  were  fools  among 
men  considered  saints,  who  claimed  to  walk 
through  the  air.  He  was  not  credulous,  but 
when  told  that  to  attempt  the  performance  of 
supernatural  deeds  was  vanity,  his  ambition 
revolted  against  the  idea  of  setting  limits  to 
human  invention.  Man  might  find  paths 
through  the  air  as  well  as  over  water;  and  he 
submitted  to  the  sentiment  only  because  he 
regarded  it  as  a  form  of  discipline  by  which 
he  would  learn  to  rise  higher.  So  he  suppressed 


THE  NOVICE.  13 

his  ambition,  thinking  that  if  he  only  abode 
his  time  he  would  find  himself  richly  rewarded 
by  the  acquisition  of  spiritual  powers  which 
would  be  a  blessing  forever,  an  imperishable 
treasure  that  could  not  be  lost  by  the  accidents 
of  life  and  would  not  share  the  doom  of  com 
pounds  which  in  due  time  must  be  dissolved 
again.  He  was  yearning  for  life,  not  for  death, 
for  a  fulness  of  melody  and  a  wealth  of  har 
mony,  not  for  the  stillness  of  the  broken  gong. 
He  had  seen  the  world  and  he  knew  life  in  all 
its  phases.  He  disdained  loud  noise  and  coarse 
enjoyments  but  he  had  not  left  his  home  and 
wandered  into  homelessness  to  find  the  silence 
of  the  tomb.  A  chill  came  over  him,  and  he 
shrank  from  the  ideal  of  sainthood  as  though 
it  were  the  path  to  mental  suicide.  "No,  no !" 
he  groaned,  "I  am  not  made  to  be  a  monk. 
Either  I  am  too  sinful  for  a  holy  life,  or  the 
holiness  of  the  cloister  is  not  the  path  of  sal 
vation." 


THE  GOD  PROBLEM. 

BUDDHISM  had  gained  ascendency  in 
India  without  exterminating  the  more 
ancient  creeds,  and  there  were  many  devoutly 
religious  people  who  had  only  a  vague  notion 
of  the  contrast  in  which  it  stood  to  other  forms 
of  faith. 

The  spiritual  atmosphere  in  which  Charaka 
had  grown  up  consisted  of  a  mixture  of  all  the 
thoughts,  influences,  and  opinions  then  enter 
tained  in  India;  but  while  the  northern  gods 
that  had  been  worshiped  by  the  ancestors  of 
the  invaders  in  their  former  homes  had  faded 
from  the  mental  vision  of  the  present  genera 
tion,  the  ancient  deities  of  India  had  not  gained 
full  recognition.  Vishnu,  Shiva,  and  Indra 
appeared  to  them  as  the  patrons  of  conquered 
races  and  were  therefore  deemed  of  inferior 
power.  Among  the  better  educated  Hindu 
people  philosophical  ideas  were  spreading  and 


THE  GOD  PROBLEM.  15 

Brahma  was  revered  as  the  Supreme  Being, 
the  Great,  the  Omnipotent,  the  Omnipresent, 
as  the  All-Consciousness  and  All-Perfection, 
the  Creator,  the  Fashioner,  the  Ruler  of  the 
Universe,  and  the  All-Father  of  all  beings. 
With  this  God-idea  of  an  all-embracing  per 
sonal  deity  Charaka  had  become  familiar  al 
most  from  childhood  and  he  was  greatly  aston 
ished  not  to  hear  a  word  about  God,  the  Lord, 
or  Brahma,  in  his  religious  instructions. 

Buddha  was  spoken  of  as  the  teacher  of 
gods  and  men;  he  was  worshiped  with  a  rev 
erence  which  was  peculiar  to  him;  but  the  be 
lief  in  the  ancient  gods  was  not  disturbed. 
Their  existence  was  neither  denied  nor  af 
firmed. 

So  long  as  he  was  unacquainted  with  his 
new  surroundings,  Charaka  did  not  dare  to 
ask  questions,  but  when  he  began  to  know  his 
kind-hearted  elder  Subhuti  and  some  others  of 
the  monks,  he  grew  more  assured,  and  one  day 
while  several  brothers  were  seated  at  the  por 
tico  of  the  assembly  hall,  he  ventured  to  in 
quire  as  to  the  doctrine  concerning  God. 

Life  is  taken  seriously  in  a  Buddhist  mon- 


16  AMITABHA. 

astery  and  the  tone  of  conversation  is  always 
religious  and  considerate.  Nevertheless  there 
were  never  missing  among  the  brethren  men 
of  a  lighter  temper,  who  saw  the  humor  of 
things,  who  could  smile  and,  smiling,  point  out 
the  comical  features  of  life  so  as  to  make  their 
fellow  brethren  smile  too,  for  real  laughter 
was  seldom,  or  never,  heard  in  the  precincts 
of  the  cloister.  We  find  frequent  traces  of  this 
humor  in  the  wall  paintings  as  well  as  the 
legends  of  saints,  part  of  which  are  preserved 
even  to-day.  Now  when  Charaka  spoke  of 
God,  one  of  the  brethren,  Kevaddha  by  name, 
a  healthy  looking  man  of  medium  size  and  of 
radiant  face,  drew  near  and  asked,  "What  do 
you  mean, — Indra,  the  thunderer,  the  soma- 
intoxicated  braggart-hero  and  ruler  of  the  sec 
ond  heaven,  whom  the  people  call  Sakra  or 
Vasava — or  do  you  mean  Shiva,  the  powerful 
and  terrible  One,  decked  with  a  necklace  of 
skulls,  the  god  full  of  awe  and  majesty?  Per 
haps  you  mean  Vishnu,  in  any  of  his  avatars, 
as  a  fish  or  a  wild  boar  or  a  white  horse?" 

Charaka  shook  his  head,  and  Kevaddha  con 
tinued  :  "May  be  you  mean  Krishna,  the  avatar 


THE  GOD  PROBLEM.  17 

of  love,  he  who  danced  with  all  the  shepherd 
esses  at  once,  finding  an  appropriate  incarna 
tion  in  their  favorite  swains,  while  each  girl 
imagined  that  she  alone  held  the  god  in  her 
arms?" 

"My  question  refers  to  no  one  of  the  gods/' 
replied  the  novice,  "but  to  God,"  and  the  em 
phasis  with  which  he  marked  the  difference 
showed  that  he  felt  not  like  joking  on  a  prob 
lem  which  was  of  grave  importance  to  him. 

"Ah,  I  see!"  exclaimed  Kevaddha.  His  lip 
curled  with  sarcasm  and  there  was  a  twinkle 
of  triumph  in  his  eye,  for  the  topic  under  dis 
cussion  reminded  him  of  a  contest  which  he 
had  had  with  a  Brahman  priest  in  which  his 
antagonist  had  been  completely  worsted  by  his 
superior  skill  in  pointing  out  the  weak  side  of 
the  proposition  and  holding  it  up  to  ridicule. 
"Ah,  I  see!"  he  exclaimed,  "you  do  not  mean 
any  one  of  the  several  gods,  but  god  in  gen 
eral.  You  are  like  the  man  who  sent  his  serv 
ant  to  market  to  buy  fruit  and  when  the  latter 
returned  with  bananas,  mangoes,  grapes,  and 
an  assortment  of  other  fruit,  he  upbraided  him, 
saying:  'I  do  not  want  bananas,  nor  mangoes, 


18  AMITABHA. 

nor  grapes,  nor  pears,  nor  prunes,  nor  apples, 
nor  pomegranates,  I  want  fruit !  Fruit  I  want 
— fruit  pure  and  undented,  not  a  particular 
fruit,  but  fruit  in  general !' ' 

Said  Charaka :  "Are  you  a  wrangler,  famous 
in  the  art  of  dialectics  and  you  know  not  the 
difference  between  God  and  the  gods?  I  love 
God  but  I  hate  the  gods !" 

"Is  it  possible/'  cried  Kevaddha  with  a  sar 
castic  chuckle,  "you  hate  the  gods  and  you  love 
God?  Can  you  hate  all  the  single  men,  monks 
and  laymen,  traders,  warriors,  kings,  noble 
men,  Brahmans,  Kshatryas,  and  Shudras,  and 
love  man  in  general?  How  is  it  that  you  can 
hate  the  gods  and  love  God?  Does  not  the 
general  include  the  particular?" 

"Be  so  good,  reverend  sir,"  answered  the 
novice,  who  began  to  chafe  under  the  attacks 
of  the  brisk  monk,  "to  understand  what  I 
mean.  The  world  in  which  we  live  is  a  world 
of  order,  and  we  know  that  there  are  laws  to 
which  we  must  submit.  When  I  speak  of  God 
I  mean  him  who  made  us,  the  Omnipotent  Cre 
ator  of  the  Universe,  the  Father  of  all  Beings, 


THE  GOD  PROBLEM.  19 

the  Standard  of  all  Perfection,  the  Eternal 
Law  of  Life." 

"Well,  well,"  replied  Kevaddha,  who  though 
boisterous  was  at  the  bottom  of  his  heart  good- 
natured.  "I  do  not  mean  to  offend.  I  try  to 
drive  a  truth  home  to  you  in  the  guise  of  fun. 
The  truth  is  serious,  though  my  mode  of  ex 
pression  may  be  humorous.  I  understand  now 
that  you  are  devoted  to  the  great  All-God, 
Brahma,  as  the  Brahmans  call  him,  the  Lord, 
Creator  and  Ruler  of  the  Universe.  But  did 
you  ever  consider  two  things,  first  that  such 
an  All-God  conceived  as  a  being  that  has  name 
and  form  is  the  product  of  our  own  imagina 
tion  as  much  as  are  all  other  deities  of  the 
people;  and  secondly,  if  Brahma  were  as  real 
as  you  are  and  I  am,  he  would  be  of  no  avail? 
Every  one  must  find  the  path  of  salvation  him 
self,  and  Brahma's  wisdom  is  not  your  wis 
dom.  Nor  can  Brahma  who  resides  in  the 
Brahma  heaven  teach  you  anything." 

Charaka  did  not  conceal  his  dissatisfaction 
with  Kevaddha's  notion  of  God  and  said :  "The 
mere  idea  that  there  is  a  God  gives  me 
strength.  He  may  be  directly  unapproachable 


20  AMITABHA. 

or  may  surround  us  as  the  air  or  as  the  ether 
which  penetrates  our  bodies.  He  may  be  dif 
ferent  from  what  we  surmise  him  to  be;  but 
he  must  exist  as  the  cause  of  all  that  is  good, 
and  wise,  and  true,  and  beautiful.  How  shall 
I,  in  my  endeavors  to  seek  the  truth,  succeed 
if  there  be  no  eternal  standard  of  truth?" 

"Yes,  I  know,"  replied  Kevaddha  with  un 
disguised  condescension;  "It  will  help  a  youth 
who  pursues  an  ideal  to  think  of  it  as  a  being, 
as  a  god,  as  the  great  god,  as  the  greatest  god 
of  all.  Children  need  toys  and  the  immature 
need  gods.  Your  case  reminds  me  of  a  story 
which  was  told  me  when  I  in  my  younger  years 
went  out  not  unlike  you  in  search  of  truth." 

"Tell  us  the  story!"  exclaimed  one  of  the 
younger  brethren,  and  Kevaddha  said:  "If  I 
were  sure  not  to  hurt  the  feelings  of  our  young 
friend,  the  novice,  I  should  be  glad  to  tell  the 
story.  But  seeing  that  he  is  a  worshiper  of 
Brahma,  I  had  better  let  the  matter  drop !" 

Charaka  answered:  "I  am  not  a  worshiper 
of  Brahma,  unless  you  understand  by  Brahma 
the  First  Cause  of  the  All,  the  ultimate  reason 
of  existence,  the  Supreme  Being,  the  Perceiver 


THE  GOD  PROBLEM.  21 

of  all  things,  the  Controller,  the  Lord,  the 
Maker,  the  Fashioner,  the  Chief,  the  Victor, 
the  Ruler,  the  Father  of  all  beings  who  ever 
have  been  and  are  to  be!  If  your  story  be 
instructive  I  am  anxious  to  hear  it  myself,  even 
though  it  should  criticise  my  belief." 

All  further  discussion  ceased  when  Kevad- 
dha  showed  his  readiness  to  tell  the  story. 


KEVADDHA'S  STORY. 

66^1  "HERE  was  a  priest  in  Benares,  a  man 
J-  of  Brahman  caste,  learned  in  all  the 
wisdom  of  the  Vedas,  not  of  the  common  type 
of  priests  but  an  honest  searcher  after  truth. 
He  longed  for  peace  of  heart  and  was  anx 
ious  to  reach  Nirvana;  yet  he  could  not 
understand  how  it  was  possible  in  the  flesh 
to  attain  perfect  tranquillity,  for  life  is  restless 
and  in  none  of  the  four  states  of  aggregation 
can  that  calmness  be  found  which  is  the  con 
dition  of  the  blissful  state.  So,  this  priest 
thought  to  himself:  'Before  I  can  make  any 
progress,  I  must  solve  the  question,  Where  do 
the  four  states  of  aggregation:  the  solid  state, 
the  watery  state,  the  fiery  state,  and  the  state 
of  air,  utterly  cease?' 

"Having  prepared  his  mind,  the  priest  en 
tered  into  a  trance  in  which  the  path  to  the 
gods  became  revealed  to  him,  and  he  drew 


KEVADDHA'S  STORY.  23 

near  to  where  the  four  great  kings  of  the  gods 
were.  And  having  drawn  near,  he  addressed 
the  four  great  kings  as  follows:  'My  friends, 
where  do  the  four  states  of  aggregation:  the 
solid  state,  the  watery  state,  the  fiery  state, 
and  the  state  of  air,  utterly  cease?'  When  he 
had  thus  spoken,  the  four  great  kings  answered 
and  said:  'We  gods,  O  priest,  do  not  know 
where  the  four  states  of  aggregation  utterly 
cease.  However,  O  priest,  there  are  the  gods 
of  the  higher  heavens,  who  are  more  glorious 
and  more  excellent  than  we.  They  would  know 
where  the  four  states  of  aggregation  utterly 
cease/ 

"When  the  four  great  kings  had  thus  spoken 
the  priest  visited  the  gods  of  the  higher  heav 
ens  and  approached  their  ruler,  Ishvara.  He 
propounded  the  same  question  and  received  the 
same  answer.  Ishvara,  the  Lord,  advised  the 
priest  to  go  to  Yama.  'He  is  powerful  and  has 
charge  over  the  souls  of  the  dead.  He  is  apt 
to  be  versed  in  problems  that  are  profound 
and  recondite  and  abstruse  and  occult.  Go  to 
Yama ;  he  may  know  where  the  four  states  of 
aggregation  utterly  cease/ 


24  AMITABHA. 

"The  priest  acted  upon  Ishvara's  advice,  and 
went  to  Yama,  but  the  result  was  the  same. 
Yama  sent  the  priest  to  the  satisfied  gods, 
whose  chief  ruler  is  the  Great  Satisfied  One. 
They  are  the  gods  who  are  pleased  with  what 
ever  is.  They  are  the  gods  of  serenity  and 
contentment.  If  there  is  any  one  who  can 
answer  your  question,  they  will  be  able  to  tell 
you  where  the  four  states  of  aggregation 
utterly  cease/ 

"The  priest  went  to  the  heaven  of  the  satis 
fied  gods,  but  here  too  he  was  disappointed. 
Their  ruler,  the  Great  Satisfied  One,  said:  1, 
O  priest,  do  not  know  where  these  four  states 
of  aggregation,  the  solid  state,  the  watery 
state,  the  fiery  state,  and  the  state  of  air, 
utterly  cease.  However,  O  priest,  there  are 
the  gods  of  the  retinue  of  Brahma,  who  are 
more  glorious  and  more  excellent  than  I.  They 
would  know  where  these  four  states  of  aggre 
gation  utterly  cease/ 

"Then,  this  same  priest  entered  again  upon 
a  state  of  trance,  in  which  his  thoughts  found 
the  way  to  the  Brahma  world.  There  the 
priest  drew  near  to  where  the  gods  of  the  ret- 


KEVADDHA'S  STORY.  25 

inue  of  Brahma  were,  and  having  drawn  near, 
he  spake  to  the  gods  of  the  retinue  of  Brahma 
as  follows:  'My  friends,  where  do  these  four 
states  of  aggregation,  the  solid  state,  the 
watery  state,  the  fiery  state,  and  the  state  of 
air,  utterly  cease?' 

"When  he  had  thus  spoken,  the  gods  of  the 
retinue  of  Brahma  answering  spake  as  follows : 
'We,  O  priest,  cannot  answer  your  question. 
However,  there  is  Brahma,  the  great  Brahma5 
the  First  Cause  of  the  All,  the  Supreme  Be 
ing,  the  All  -  Perfection,  the  All  -  Perceiving 
One,  theController,  the  Lord  of  All,  the  Cre 
ator,  the  Fashioner,  the  Chief,  the  Victor,  the 
Ruler,  the  All-Father,  he  who  is  more  glorious, 
more  excellent,  than  all  celestial  beings,  he  will 
know  where  the  four  states  of  aggregation, 
the  solid  state,  the  watery  state,  the  fiery  state, 
and  the  state  of  air,  do  utterly  cease/ 

"Said  the  priest:  'But  where,  my  friends,  is 
the  great  Brahma  at  the  present  moment?' 
And  the  gods  answered:  'We  do  not  know,  O 
priest,  where  the  great  Brahma  is,  or  in  what 
direction  the  great  Brahma  can  be  found.  But 
inasmuch,  O  priest,  as  he  is  omnipresent,  you 


26  AMITABHA. 

will  see  signs  and  notice  a  radiance  and  the 
appearance  of  an  effulgence,  and  then  Brahma 
will  appear.  This  is  the  previous  sign  of  the 
appearance  of  Brahma,  that  a  radiance  is  no- 
ticed,  or  an  effulgence  appears/ 

"The  priest,  having  invoked  Brahma's  ap 
pearance  with  due  reverence  and  according  to 
the  rules  of  the  Vedas,  in  a  short  time  Brahma 
appeared.  Then  the  priest  drew  near  to  where 
Brahma  was,  and  having  drawn  near,  he  spake 
to  Brahma  as  follows:  'My  friend,  where  do 
the  four  states  of  aggregation,  the  solid  state, 
the  watery  state,  the  fiery  state,  and  the  state 
of  air,  utterly  cease?' 

"When  he  had  thus  spoken,  the  great 
Brahma  opened  his  mouth  and  spake  as  fol 
lows:  'I,  O  priest,  am  Brahma,  the  great 
Brahma,  the  Supreme  Being,  the  All-Perfec 
tion,  the  All-Perceiving  One,  the  Controller, 
the  Lord  of  All,  the  Creator,  the  Fashioner, 
the  Chief,  the  Victor,  the  Ruler,  the  All- 
Father.' 

"A  second  time  the  priest  asked  his  question, 
and  the  great  Brahma  gave  him  the  same  an 
swer,  saying:  'I,  O  priest,  am  Brahma,  the 


KEVADDHA'S  STORY.  27 

great  Brahma,  the  Supreme  Being,  the  All- 
Perfection  ;'  and  he  did  not  cease  until  he  had 
enumerated  all  the  titles  applied  to  him. 

"Having  patiently  listened  to  Brahma,  the 
priest  repeated  his  question  a  third  time,  and 
added:  'I  am  not  asking  you,  my  friend,  Are 
you  Brahma,  the  great  Brahma,  the  Supreme 
Being,  the  All-Perfection,  the  All-Perceiver, 
the  All-Father,  and  whatever  titles  and  ac 
complishments  you  may  have  in  addition;  but 
this,  my  friend,  is  what  I  ask  you:  'Where  do 
the  four  states  of  aggregation,  the  solid  state, 
the  watery  state,  the  fiery  state,  and  the  state 
or  air,  utterly  cease?' 

"The  great  Brahma  remained  unmoved,  and 
answered  a  third  time,  saying:  'I,  O  priest, 
am  Brahma,  the  great  Brahma,  the  Supreme 
Being,  the  All-Perfection,  the  All-Perceiver/ 
enumerating  again  all  the  titles  applied  to  him. 

"Now  the  priest  rose  and  said:  'Are  you 
truly  a  living  being,  or  an  automaton,  that  you 
can  do  nothing  but  repeat  a  string  of  words  ?' 

"And  now  the  great  Brahma  rose  from  his 
seat  and  approached  the  priest,  and  leading 
him  aside  to  a  place  where  he  could  not  be 


28  AMITABHA. 

overheard  by  any  of  the  gods,  spake  to  him 
as  follows:  The  gods  of  my  suite  and  all  the 
worshipers  of  the  world  that  honor  me  with 
sacrifice  and  adoration,  believe  that  Brahma 
sees  all  things,  knows  all  things,  has  pene 
trated  all  things;  therefore,  O  priest,  I  an 
swered  you  as  I  did  in  the  presence  of  the  gods. 
But  I  will  tell  you,  O  priest,  in  confidence,  that 
I  do  not  know  where  the  four  states  of  aggre 
gation,  the  solid  state,  the  watery  state,  the 
fiery  state,  and  the  state  of  air,  utterly  cease- 
It  was  a  mistake,  O  priest,  that  you  left  the 
earth  where  the  Blessed  One  resides,  and  came 
up  to  heaven  in  quest  of  an  answer  which  can 
not  be  given  you  here.  Turn  back,  O  priest, 
and  having  drawn  near  to  the  Blessed  One. 
the  Enlightened  Buddha,  -ask  him  your  ques 
tion,  and  as  the  Blessed  One  shall  explain  it 
to  you,  so  believe/ 

"Thereupon  the  priest,  as  quickly  as  a 
strong  man  might  stretch  out  his  bent  arm, 
disappeared  from  the  Brahma  heaven  and  ap 
peared  before  the  Blessed  One ;  and  he  greeted 
the  Blessed  One  and  sat  down  respectfully  at 
one  side,  and  spake  to  the .  Blessed  One  as 


KEVADDHA'S  STORY.  29 

follows:  'Reverend  Sir,  where  do  the  four 
states  of  aggregation,  the  solid  state,  the 
watery  state,  the  fiery  state,  and  the  state  of 
air,  utterly  cease?' 

"When  he  had  thus  spoken  the  Blessed  One 
answered  as  follows:  'Once  upon  a  time,  O 
priest,  some  sea-faring  traders  had  a  land- 
sighting  bird  when  they  sailed  out  into  the 
sea;  and  when  the  ship  was  in  mid-ocean  they 
set  free  that  land-sighting  bird.  This  bird 
flies  in  an  easterly  direction,  in  a  southerly 
direction,  in  a  westerly  direction,  and  in  a 
northerly  direction,  and  to  the  intermediate 
quarters,  and  if  it  sees  land  anywhere  it  flies 
thither,  but  if  it  does  not  see  land  it  returns 
to  the  the  ship.  In  exactly  the  same  way,  O 
priest,  when  you  had  searched  as  far  as  the 
Brahma  world  and  found  no  answer  to  your 
question  you  returned  to  the  place  whence  you 
came.  The  question,  O  priest,  ought  never  to 
have  been  put  thus :  Where  do  these  four  states 
of  aggregation  cease?  The  question  ought  to 
be  as  follows: 

"Oh !  Where  can  water,  where  can  wind, 
Where  fire  and  earth  no  footing  find? 


30  AMITABHA. 

Where  disappear  all  mine  and  thine, 
Good,  bad,  long,  short,  and  coarse  and  fine, 
And  where  do  name  and  form  both  cease 
To  find  in  nothingness  release  ?" 

"  The  answer,  however,  is  this : 

""Pis  in  the  realm  of  radiance  bright, 
Invisible,  eternal  light, 
And  infinite,  a  state  of  mind, 
There  water,  earth,  and  fire,  and  wind, 
And  elements  of  any  kind, 
Will  nevermore  a  footing  find ; 
There  disappear  all  mine  and  thine, 
Good,  bad,  long,  short,  and  coarse,  and  fine, 
There  too  will  name  and  form  both  cease, 
To  find  in  nothingness  release." 

"Then  the  priest  understood  that  the  world 
of  matter  is  restless  and  remains  restless,  but 
peace  of  heart  is  a  condition  of  mind  which 
must  be  acquired  by  self-discipline,  by  wisdom, 
by  devotion.  The  gods  cannot  help;  nor  even 
can  Brahma  himself,  the  Great  Brahma,  the 
Supreme  Being,  the  Lord  and  Creator.  Sacri 
fice  is  useless  and  prayer  and  worship  are  of  no 
avail.  But  if  we  desire  to  attain  the  highest 
state  of  bliss,  which  is  Nirvana,  we  must  fol- 


KEVADDHA'S  STORY.  31 

low  the  Blessed  One,  the  Teacher  of  gods  and 
men;  and  like  him  we  must  by  our  own  effort 
become  lamps  unto  ourselves  and  resolutely 
walk  upon  the  noble  eightfold  path."10 


THE  CONFESSION/ 

THE  young  novice  spent  his  days  in  study 
and  his  nights  in  doubt.  He  followed 
with  interest  the  recitations  of  his  instructor 
on  the  philosophy  of  the  Enlightened  One;  he 
enjoyed  the  birthstories  of  Bodhisattva  and 
the  parables  of  the  master  with  their  moral 
applications,  but  when  he  retired  in  the  even 
ing  or  was  otherwise  left  to  his  own  thoughts 
he  began  to  ponder  on  the  uselessness  of  the 
hermit's  life  and  longed  to  return  to  the  world 
with  its  temptations  and  struggles,  its  victories 
and  defeats,  its  pleasures  and  pains,  its  hopes 
and  fears.  He  enjoyed  the  solitude  of  the  for 
est,  but  he  began  to  think  that  the  restlessness 
of  the  world  could  offer  him  more  peace  of 
mind  than  the  inactivity  of  a  monkish  life. 

When  Charaka  had  familiarised  himself 
with  all  the  Sutras  and  wise  sayings  which 
were  known  to  the  brethren  of  the  monastery, 


THE  CONFESSION.  33 

the  time  began  to  hang  heavy  on  his  hands,  and 
he  felt  that  the  religious  discourses  were  be 
coming  tedious. 

Weeks  elapsed,  and  Charaka  despaired  of 
either  becoming  accustomed  to  monkish  life  or 
of  understanding  the  deeper  meaning  of  their 
renunciation  of  the  world,  and  his  conscience 
began  to  trouble  him;  for  the  more  the  elder 
brethren  respected  him  for  his  knowledge  and 
gentleness,  and  the  more  they  praised  him,  the 
less  worthy  he  deemed  himself  of  their  recog 
nition. 

The  day  of  confession  approached  again. 
He  had  spent  the  hours  in  fasting  and  self- 
discipline,  but  all  this  availed  nothing.  He  was 
weary  and  felt  a  sadness  of  heart  beyond  de 
scription. 

In  the  evening  all  the  brethren  were  gath 
ered  together  in  the  chaitya,  the  large  hall 
where  they  held  their  devotional  meetings. 
The  aisles  lay  in  mystic  darkness,  and  the  pic 
tures  on  the  heavy  columns  and  on  the  ceiling 
were  half  concealed.  They  appeared  and  dis 
appeared  from  time  to  time  in  the  flicker  of  the 
torches  that  were  employed  to  light  the  room. 


34  AMITABHA. 

The  monks  sat  in  silent  expectation,  their  faces 
showing  a  quietude  and  calmness  which  proved 
that  they  were  unconcerned  about  their  own 
fate,  ready  to  live  or  to  die,  as  their  doom 
might  be,  only  bent  on  the  aim  of  reaching 
Nirvana. 

The  senior  monk  arose  and  addressed  the 
assembly.  "Reverend  sirs,"  he  said,  "let  the 
order  hear  me.  To-day  is  full  moon,  and  the 
day  of  the  unburdening  of  our  hearts.  If  the 
order  is  ready,  let  the  order  consecrate  this 
day  to  the  recital  of  the  confession.  This  is 
our  first  duty,  and  so  let  us  listen  to  the  decla 
ration  of  purity." 

The  brethren  responded,  saying:  "We  are 
here  to  listen  and  will  consider  the  questions 
punctiliously." 

The  speaker  continued :  "Whoever  has  com 
mitted  a  transgression,  let  him  speak,  those 
who  are  free  from  the  consciousness  of  guilt, 
let  them  be  silent." 

At  this  moment  a  tall  figure  rose  slowly  and 
hesitatingly  from  the  ground  at  the  further 
end  of  the  hall.  He  did  not  speak  but  stood 
there  quietly,  towering  for  some  time  in  the 


THE  CONFESSION.  35 

dusky  recess  between  two  pillars  as  though 
he  were  the  apparition  of  a  guilty  conscience. 
The  presiding  brother  at  last  broke  the  silence 
and  addressed  the  brethren,  saying :  "A  monk 
who  has  committed  a  fault,  and  remembers  it, 
if  he  endeavors  to  be  pure,  should  confess  his 
fault.  When  a  fault  is  confessed  it  will  lie 
lightly  upon  him." 

Still  the  shadowy  figure  stood  motionless, 
which  seemed  to  increase  the  gloom  in  the  hall. 

"One  of  the  brethren  has  risen,  indicating 
thereby  that  he  desires  to  speak,"  continued 
the  abbot.  "A  monk  who  does  not  confess  a 
fault  after  the  question  has  been  put  three 
times  is  guilty  of  an  intentional  lie,  and  the 
Blessed  One  teaches  that  an  intentional  lie  cuts 
a  man  off  from  sanctification." 

The  gloomy  figure  now  lifted  his  head  and 
with  suppressed  emotion  began  to  speak.  "Ven 
erable  father,"  he  said,  "and  ye,  reverend  sirs, 
may  I  speak  out  and  unburden  my  heart?" 
The  voice  was  that  of  the  novice,  and  a  slight 
commotion  passed  through  the  assemblage. 
Having  been  encouraged  to  speak  freely  and 
without  reserve,  Charaka  began: 


36  AMITABHA. 

"Venerable  father,  and  ye,  reverend  sirs: 
I  feel  guilty  of  having  infringed  on  one  of  the 
great  prohibitions.  I  am  as  a  palm  tree,  the 
top  of  which  has  been  destroyed.  I  am  broken 
in  spirit  and  full  of  contrition.  I  am  anxious 
to  be  a  disciple  of  the  Shakya-Muni,  but  I  am 
not  worthy  to  be  a  monk,  I  never  have  been 
and  I  never  shall  be."  Here  his  voice  faltered, 
and  he  sobbed  like  a  child. 

The  brethren  were  horror  -  stricken ;  they 
thought  at  once  that  the  youth  was  contami 
nated  by  some  secret  crime;  he  was  too  young 
to  be  free  from  passion,  too  beautiful  to  be 
beyond  temptation,  too  quick-witted  not  to  be 
ambitious.  True,  they  loved  him,  but  they  felt 
now  that  their  affection  for  him  was  a  danger, 
and  there  was  no  one  in  the  assembly  who  did 
not  feel  the  youth's  self-accusation  as  partly 
directed  against  himself.  But  the  abbot  over 
came  the  sentiment  that  arose  so  quickly,  and 
encouraged  the  penitent  brother  to  make  a  full 
confession.  "Do  not  despair,"  he  said,  "thou 
art  young;  it  is  natural  that  thy  heart  should 
still  cherish  dreams  of  love,  and  that  alluring 
reminiscences  should  still  haunt  thy  mind." 


THE  CONFESSION.  37 

"I  entered  the  brotherhood  with  false  hopes 
and  wrong  aspirations,"  replied  the  novice.  "I 
am  longing  for  wisdom  and  supernatural  pow 
ers;  I  am  ambitious  to  do  and  to  dare,  and  I 
hoped  to  acquire  a  deeper  knowledge  through 
self-discipline  and  holiness.  I  am  free  from 
any  actual  transgression,  but  my  holiness  is 
mockery ;  my  piety  is  not  genuine ;  I  am  a  hypo 
crite  and  I  find  that  I  am  belying  you,  venerable 
father,  and  all  the  monks  of  this  venerable 
community.  But  it  grieveth  me  most  that  I 
am  false  to  myself;  I  am  not  worthy  to  wear 
the  yellow  robe." 

"Thou  art  not  expected  to  be  perfect,"  re 
plied  the  abbot,  "thou  art  walking  on  the  path, 
and  hast  not  as  yet  reached  the  goal.  Thy 
fault  is  impatience  with  thyself  and  not  hypoc 
risy." 

"Do  not  palliate  my  fault,  venerable  father," 
said  Charaka.  "There  is  something  wrong  in 
my  heart  and  in  my  mind.  If  I  am  not  a  hypo 
crite,  then  I  am  a  heretic;  and  a  heretic  walks 
on  the  wrong  road  in  the  wrong  direction,  and 
can  never  reach  the  goal.  Do  not  extenuate, 
do  not  qualify  and  mitigate  my  faults,  for  I 


38  AMITABHA. 

feel  their  grievousness  and  am  anxious  to  be 
led  out  of  the  darkness  into  the  light.  I  long 
for  life  and  the  unfoldment  of  life.  I  want  to 
comprehend  the  deepest  truths ;  I  want  to  know 
and  to  taste  the  highest  bliss ;  I  want  to  accom 
plish  the  greatest  deeds/' 

"Then  thou  art  worldly;  thou  longest  for 
power,  for  fame,  for  honor,  for  pleasures/' 
suggested  the  abbot  inquiringly;  "thou  art  not 
yet  free  from  the  illusion  of  selfhood.  It  is 
not  the  truth,  then,  that  thou  wantest,  but  thy 
self,  to  be  an  owner  of  the  truth;  it  is  self- 
enhancement,  not  service;  vanity,  not  helpful 


ness/' 


"That  may  be,  reverend  father,"  replied  the 
novice;  "thy  wisdom  shall  judge  me;  though 
I  do  not  feel  myself  burdened  by  selfishness. 
No,  I  do  not  love  myself.  I  would  gladly  sacri 
fice  myself  for  any  noble  cause,  for  truth,  for 
justice,  for  procuring  bliss  for  others.  Nor  do 
I  crave  for  worldly  pleasures,  but  I  do  not  feel 
any  need  of  shirking  them.  Pleasures  like 
pains  are  the  stuff  that  life  is  made  of,  and  I 
do  not  hate  life.  I  enjoy  the  unfoldment  of 
life  with  all  its  aspirations,  not  for  my  sake, 


THE  CONFESSION.  39 

but  for  life's  sake.  I  do  not  love  myself,  I  love 
God.  That  is  my  fault,  and  that  is  the  root 
from  which  grow  all  my  errors,  heresies,  hyp 
ocrisies,  and  the  false  position  in  which  I  now 


am." 


The  good  abbot  did  not  know  what  to  say. 
He  looked  at  the  poor  novice  and  pitied  him 
for  his  pangs  of  conscience.  Every  one  pres 
ent  felt  that  the  man  suffered,  that  there  was 
something  wrong  with  him;  but  no  one  could 
exactly  say  what  it  was.  His  ambition  was 
not  sinful  but  noble.  And  that  he  loved  God 
was  certainly  not  a  crime.  At  last  the  abbot 
addressed  Subhuti,  Charaka's  senior  and 
teacher,  and  asked  him:  "Have  you,  reverend 
brother,  noticed  in  this  novice's  behavior  or 
views  anything  strange  or  exceptional?" 

Subhuti  replied  that  he  had  not. 

The  abbot  continued  to  inquire  about  Cha 
raka's  previous  religious  relations  and  the  sig 
nificance  of  his  love  of  God. 

"I  do  not  know,  reverend  sir,"  was  the  elder 
monk's  answer.  "He  is  not  a  Brahman,  but 
a  descendant  of  a  noble  family  of  the  northern 
conquerors  that  came  to  India  and  founded 


40  AMITABHA. 

the  kingdom  of  Gandhara.  Yet  he  knows 
Brahman  writings  and  is  familiar  with  the 
philosophy  of  the  Yavanas12  of  the  distant 
West.  I  discoursed  with  him  and  understand 
that  by  God  he  means  all  that  is  right  and 
good  and  true  in  the  world  and  without  whom 
there  can  be  no  enlightenment." 

"Very  well,"  proclaimed  the  abbot,  "there  is 
no  sin  in  loving  God,  for  what  you  describe  as 
God  is  our  Lord  Shakyamuni,  the  Enlightened 
One,  the  Buddha,  the  Tathagata ;"  but  he  added 
not  without  a  suggestion  of  reproof:  "You 
might  dignify  the  Lord  Buddha  with  a  higher 
title  than  God.  Gods,  if  they  exist,  are  not 
Buddha's  equals.  When  Bodhisattva  was  a 
child,  the  gods  prostrated  themselves  before 
him,  for  they  recognised  the  Tathagata's  supe 
riority  even  before  he  had  attained  to  complete 
Buddhahood.  The  divinity  of  the  gods  is  less 
than  the  noble  life  of  a  Bodhisattva." 

Having  thus  discussed  the  case  of  the  novice 
Charaka,  the  abbot  addressed  himself  to  the 
Brotherhood,  asking  the  reverend  sirs  what 
they  would  deem  right  in  the  present  case. 
Was  the  brother  at  all  guilty  of  the  fault  of 


THE  CONFESSION.  41 

which  he  accused  himself  and  if  so  what  should 
he  do  to  restore  his  good  standing  and  set  him 
self  aright  in  the  Brotherhood? 

Then  Subhuti  arose  and  said:  "Charaka  is 
a  man  of  deep  comprehension  and  of  an  earnest 
temper.  The  difficulty  which  he  encounters 
is  not  for  us  to  judge  him  or  to  advise  him 
about.  But  there  is  a  philosopher  living  in 
the  kingdom  of  Magadha,  by  the  name  of  Ac,- 
vaghosha.  If  there  is  any  one  in  the  world 
that  can  set  an  erring  brother  right,  it  is  Aq- 
voghosha,  whose  wisdom  is  so  great  that  since 
Buddha  entered  Nirvana  there  has  been  no 
man  on  earth  who  might  have  surpassed  him 
either  in  knowledge  or  judgment."  So  Subhuti 
proposed  to  write  a  letter  of  introduction  to 
Agvaghosha  commending  the  brother  Charaka 
to  his  care  and  suggesting  to  him  to  dispel  his 
doubts  and  to  establish  him  again  firmly  in  the 
faith  in  which  the  truth  shines  forth  more 
brilliantly  than  in  any  other  religion. 

The  abbot  agreed  with  Subhuti  and  the  gen 
eral  opinion  among  the  brethren  was  in  favor 
of  sending  Charaka  to  the  kingdom  of  Ma 
gadha  to  the  philosopher  Agvaghosha  to  have 


42  AMITABHA. 

his  doubts  dispelled  and  his  heart  established 
again  in  the  faith  of  Buddha,  the  Blessed  One, 
the  teacher  of  truth. 

Before  they  could  carry  out  their  plan  the 
session  was  interrupted  by  a  messenger  from 
the  royal  court  of  Gandhara,  who  inquired 
for  a  novice  by  the  name  of  Charaka, — a  man 
well  versed  in  medicine  and  other  learned  arts. 
A  dreadful  epidemic  had  spread  in  the  country, 
and  the  old  king  had  died  while  two  of  his  sons 
were  afflicted  with  the  disease  and  now  lay  at 
the  point  of  death.  The  oldest  son  and  heir 
to  the  throne  was  in  the  field  defending  his 
country  against  the  Parthians,  and  some  moun 
taineers  of  the  East,  nominally  subject  to  the 
kingdom  of  Magadha  but  practically  inde 
pendent  had  utilised  the  opportunity  afforded 
by  these  circumstances  to  descend  into  the  fer 
tile  valleys  of  Gandhara  and  to  pillage  the 
country. 

The  regard  in  which  Charaka  had  been  held 
in  the  Brotherhood  during  his  novitiate  had 
not  suffered  through  his  confession  and  was 
even  heightened.  It  had  been  known  in  the 
cloister  that  the  young  novice  was  of  a  noble 


THE  CONFESSION.  43 

family,  but  he  had  made  nothing  of  it  and  so 
the  intimate  connection  with  the  royal  family 
of  the  country  created  an  uncommon  sensa 
tion  among  his  venerable  brethren.  Now,  a 
special  awe  attached  to  his  person  since  it  was 
known  that  the  young  king  knew  of  Charaka, 
and  needing  his  wisdom,  sent  a  special  mes 
senger  to  call  him  back  to  the  capital. 

In  spite  of  the  interruption  the  ceremony  of 
confession  was  continued  and  closed  in  the 
traditional  way;  all  the  questions  regarding 
transgressions  that  might  have  been  committed 
were  asked  and  in  some  cases  sins  were  punc 
tiliously  reported  by  those  who  felt  a  need  of 
unburdening  their  conscience.  Penances  were 
imposed  which  were  willingly  and  submissively 
assumed.  When  everything  had  been  attended 
to,  the  abbot  turned  again  to  Charaka  saying, 
"If  you  had  concealed  your  secret  longings,  you 
would  have  been  guilty  of  hypocrisy,  but  now 
since  you  have  openly  laid  bare  the  state  of 
your  mind,  there  is  no  longer  any  falsehood  in 
you.  Therefore  I  find  no  fault  with  your  con 
duct;  should  you  find  that  you  cannot  remain 
a  monk,  you  must  know  that  there  is  no  law 


44  AMITABHA. 

that  obliges  you  to  remain  in  the  Brotherhood 
against  your  will." 

The  abbot  then  granted  Charaka  permission 
to  obey  the  King's  call,  saying,  "You  are  free 
to  leave  the  order  in  peace  and  goodwill,  but  I 
enjoin  you  to  make  a  vow  that  you  will  not 
leave  your  doubts  unsettled,  but  that  as  soon 
as  you  have  attended  to  the  pressing  duties 
which  will  engage  your  attention  at  the  capital 
you  will  make  a  pilgrimage  to  the  philosopher 
Agvaghosha,  who  lives  in  the  kingdom  of  Ma- 
gadha.  He  will  be  a  better  adviser  than  I, 
and  he  shall  decide  whether  or  not  you  are  fit 
to  be  a  monk  of  our  Lord  the  Buddha." 


GANDHARA. 

A3  the  night  was  far  advanced,  the  royal 
messenger  allowed  his  horses  a  short 
rest  in  the  Vihara,  and  set  out  with  Charaka 
at  an  early  hour  the  following  morning.  The 
two  travelers  could  not,  however,  make  rapid 
progress,  for  the  atmosphere  was  murky,  and 
the  fogs  of  the  rainy  season  obscured  the  way. 
They  passed  a  picket  of  Gandhara  soldiers  who 
were  on  the  lookout  for  the  hostile  mountain 
eers.  The  mounted  messenger  showed  them 
his  passport,  and  the  two  men  reached  the  cap 
ital  only  when  the  shades  of  evening  were  set 
tling  upon  the  valley.  The  gates  were  care 
fully  guarded  by  armed  men.  The  sentinel  led 
the  two  horsemen  to  the  officer  at  the  gate, 
who  seemed  satisfied  with  the  report  that  Cha 
raka  had  nowhere  encountered  enemies;  but 
the  home  news  was  very  bad,  for  one  of  the 
princes  had  died  and  Chandana  (commonly 


46  AMITABHA. 

called  Kanishka),  the  third  and  youngest  son 
of  the  king,  was  thought  to  be  critically  ill. 

The  night  was  darker  than  usual,  and  the 
town  made  a  gloomy  impression.  The  inhabi 
tants  were  restless  and  seemed  to  be  prepared 
for  a  dire  calamity. 

Charaka  was  at  once  conducted  to  the  royal 
palace.  He  passed  through  a  line  of  long 
streets  which  seemed  narrow  and  dismal.  The 
people  whom  they  met  on  their  way,  being 
wrapped  in  a  veil  of  mist,  resembled  even  at  a 
short  distance  dim  dusky  specters,  like  guilty 
ghosts  condemned  for  some  crime  to  haunt  the 
scene  of  their  former  lives.  At  last  they 
reached  the  palace,  and  Charaka  was  ushered 
into  the  dimly  lighted  bedroom  of  Prince  Ka 
nishka.  Charaka  stood  motionless  and  watched 
the  heavy  breathing  of  the  patient.  He  then 
put  his  hand  gently  upon  the  feverish  forehead 
and  in  a  low  voice  demanded  water  to  cool  the 
burning  temples  of  the  sick  man.  Turning 
to  the  attendants,  he  met  the  questioning  eye 
of  a  tall  and  beautiful  woman,  an  almost  im 
perious  figure.  He  knew  her  well ;  it  was  Prin- 


GANDHARA.  47 

cess  Kamalavati,  the  king's  daughter  and  a 
younger  half-sister  of  the  prince. 

"His  condition  is  very  bad/'  whispered  Cha- 
raka  in  reply  to  the  unuttered  question  that  was 
written  in  her  face,  "but  not  yet  hopeless. 
Where  are  the  nurses  who  assist  you  in  min 
istering  unto  the  patient?" 

Two  female  attendants  appeared,  and  the 
physician  withdrew  with  them  into  an  adjoin 
ing  room  where  he  listened  to  their  reports. 
"The  king  and  his  second  son  have  died  of  the 
same  disease,  and  the  situation  is  very  critical/' 
said  Charaka ;  "but  we  may  avoid  the  mistakes 
made  in  the  former  cases  and  adjust  the  diet 
strictly  to  the  condition  of  the  patient." 

Charaka  and  Kanishka  were  of  the  same 
age.  They  had  for  some  time  been  educated 
together  and  were  intimate  friends.  But  when 
the  prince  joined  the  royal  army,  Charaka 
studied  the  sciences  under  the  direction  of  Ji- 
vaka,  the  late  court  physician  of  Gandhara,  and 
knowing  how  highly  the  latter  had  praised  the 
young  man  as  his  best  disciple,  the  prince  had 
unbounded  confidence  in  the  medical  skill  of 
his  boyhood  companion.  He  had  suggested 


48  AMITABHA. 

calling  him  when  his  father,  the  king,  fell  sick, 
but  his  advice  had  remained  unheeded,  and  now 
being  himself  ill,  he  was  impatient  to  have  the 
benefit  of  his  friend's  assistance. 

Charaka  gave  his  instructions  to  the  princess 
and  the  other  attendants  and  then  sat  down 
quietly  by  the  bedside  of  the  patient.  When 
Kanishka  awoke  from  his  restless  slumber,  he 
extended  his  hand  and  tried  to  speak,  but  the 
physician  hushed  him,  saying:  "Keep  quiet, 
and  your  life  will  be  saved." 

"I  will  be  quiet,"  whispered  Kanishka,  not 
without  great  effort,  "but  save  my  life, — for 
the  sake  of  my  country,  not  for  my  own  sake." 
After  a  pause  he  continued:  "Tell  my  sister 
to  call  Matura,  our  brave  and  faithful  Matura, 
to  my  bedside." 

Matura,  the  scion  of  a  noble  Gandhara  fam 
ily,  had  served  his  country  on  several  occa 
sions  and  was  at  present  at  the  capital.  He 
came  and  waited  patiently  till  Charaka  gave 
him  permission  to  see  the  patient. 

In  this  interview  the  prince  explained  to 
Matura  the  political  situation  since  his  father's 
death.  His  royal  brother,  now  in  the  field 


GANDHARA.  49 

against  the  Parthians,  was  at  present  the  legit 
imate  king.  "During  his  absence/'  said  Ka- 
nishka,  "the  duty  devolves  on  me,  as  the  vice 
gerent  of  the  crown,  to  keep  the  mountaineers 
out  of  the  kingdom,  and  I  call  upon  you  to 
serve  me  as  a  chancellor  in  this  critical  situa 
tion.  Raise  troops  to  expel  the  marauders,  but 
at  the  same  time  exhaust  diplomatic  methods 
by  appealing  to  the  honor  and  dignity  of  the 
kingdom  of  Magadha  of  which  these  robber 
tribes  are  nominal  subjects." 

Thus  Matura  took  charge  of  state  affairs 
and  Charaka  and  Kamalavati  united  in  attend 
ing  to  the  treatment  of  the  sick  prince.  They 
had  weary  nights  and  hours  of  deep  despond 
ency  when  they  despaired  of  the  recovery  of 
their  beloved  patient,  but  the  crisis  came  and 
Kanishka  survived  it.  He  regained  strength, 
first  slowly,  very  slowly,  then  more  rapidly, 
until  he  felt  that  he  was  past  all  danger. 

The  rainy  season  had  given  the  people  of 
Gandhara  a  respite  from  the  suffering  caused 
by  the  hostilities  of  their  enemies.  The  king, 
Kanishka's  elder  brother,  continued  to  wage 
war  against  the  Parthians  and  concentrated 


50  AMITABHA. 

his  forces  for  striking  a  decisive  blow.  But 
while  the  best  troops  of  the  country  had  thus 
still  to  be  employed  against  a  formidable  foe, 
the  mountaineers  renewed  their  raids,  and  the 
king  of  Magadha,  too  weak  to  interfere  with 
his  stubborn  vassals,  pleaded  their  cause  de 
claring  that  they  had  grievances  against  the 
kingdom  of  Gandhara  and  could  therefore  not 
be  restrained.  The  prince  accordingly  declared 
war  on  the  kingdom  of  Magadha.  He  raised 
an  army,  and  the  young  men  of  the  peasantry, 
who  had  suffered  much  from  this  state  of  un 
rest,  gladly  allowed  themselves  to  be  enlisted. 


KING  KANISHKA.  ^ 

DURING  the  preparations  for  war  against 
Magadha  there  came  tidings  from  the 
Parthian  frontier  that  the  troops  of  Gandhara 
had  gained  a  decisive  victory  which,  however, 
was  dearly  bought,  for  the  king  himself  who 
had  been  foremost  among  the  combatants,  died 
a  glorious  death  on  the  field  of  battle.  The 
crown  now  passed  to  Kanishka  who  deemed  it 
his  first  duty  to  overcome  the  enemies  of  his 
nation.  Leaving  the  trusted  generals  of  his 
brother  in  command  of  the  victorious  army  in 
Parthia,  he  placed  himself  at  the  head  of  the 
troops  destined  to  march  against  Magadha. 
Charaka  was  requested  to  accompany  him  in 
the  field,  and  Matura  remained  behind  as  chan 
cellor  of  the  state. 

Charaka  loved  the  princess  without  knowing 
it.  She  had  been  kindly  disposed  toward  him 
from  childhood;  but  her  interest  was  height- 


^ 

_  fi>    #£t     tf& 


52  AMITABHA. 

ened  to  admiration  since  she  had  observed  him 
at  the  bedside  of  her  brother.  How  noble  he 
was,  how  thoughtful,  how  unselfish;  and  at 
the  same  time  how  wise  in  spite  of  his  youth. 
When  the  two  parted  she  said:  "Take  care  of 
my  brother,  be  to  him  as  a  guardian  angel; 
and,"  added  the  princess  smiling,  "be  good  to 
yourself, — for  my  sake." 

Charaka  stood  bewildered.  He  felt  his 
cheeks  flushing,  and  did  not  know  what  to 
think  or  say.  All  at  once  he  became  conscious 
of  the  fact  that  a  powerful  yearning  had  grad 
ually  grown  up  in  his  heart,  and  a  tender  and 
as  yet  undefined  relation  had  become  estab 
lished  between  himself  and  the  princess.  He 
was  not  sure,  however,  whether  it  was  right 
for  him  to  accept  and  press  the  beautiful  wo 
man's  hand  that  was  offered  him  in  unaffected 
friendliness  and  with  maidenly  innocence.  He 
stood  before  her  like  a  schoolboy  censured  for 
a  serious  breach  of  the  school  regulations.  He 
stammered ;  his  head  drooped ;  and  at  last  cov 
ering  his  eyes  with  his  hand,  he  began  to  sob 
like  a  child  with  a  guilty  conscience. 

At  this  moment  Kanishka  approached  to  bid 


KING  KANISHKA.  53 

his  sister  good-by;  and  after  a  few  words  of 
mutual  good  wishes  Charaka  and  Kamalavati 
parted. 

While  the  king  and  his  physician  were  riding 
side  by  side,  their  home  behind  them,  their 
enemy  in  front,  Kanishka  inquired  about  the 
trouble  which  had  stirred  Charaka  to  tears. 
And  Charaka  said :  "It  is  all  my  fault.  When 
your  sister  bade  me  farewell,  I  became  aware 
of  a  budding  love  toward  her  in  my  soul,  and 
I  feel  that  she  reciprocates  my  sentiment.  I 
know  it  is  sinful,  and  I  will  not  yield  to  temp 
tation,  but  I  am  weak,  and  that  brought  tears 
to  my  eyes.  I  feel  ashamed  of  myself." 

"Do  you  think  love  a  sin?"  inquired  the 
king. 

"Is  not  celibacy  the  state  of  holiness,"  re 
plied  Charaka,  "and  is  not  marriage  a  mere 
concession  to  worldliness,  being  instituted  for 
the  sake  of  preventing  worse  confusion?" 

"You  ought  to  know  more  about  it  than  I," 
continued  Kanishka,  "for  you  devoted  yourself 
to  religion  by  joining  the  brotherhood,  while 
I  am  a  layman,  and  my  religious  notions  are 
not  grounded  on  deeper  knowledge." 


54  AMITABHA. 

"Alas!"  sighed  Charaka,  "I  am  not  fit  to  be 
a  monk.  The  abbot  of  the  Vihara  could  not 
help  me  and  advised  me  to  have  my  doubts 
allayed  and  the  problems  of  my  soul  settled  by 
Aqvoghosha  of  Magadha,  the  great  philos 
opher  and  saint  who  is  said  to  understand  the 
doctrine  of  the  Blessed  One,  the  Buddha." 

"What  is  the  problem  that  oppresses  you?" 
inquired  King  Kanishka.  "Is  your  soul  burd 
ened  with  sin?" 

"I  am  not  guilty  of  a  sinful  deed,  but  I  feel 
that  my  soul  is  sinful  in  its  aspirations.  My 
heart  is  full  of  passion,  and  I  have  an  ambitious 
mind.  I  would  perform  great  deeds,  noble  and 
miraculous,  and  would  solve  the  problem  of 
life;  I  would  fathom  the  mysteries  of  being 
and  comprehend  the  law  of  existence,  its 
source  and  its  purpose.  There  is  an  undefined 
yearning  in  my  breast,  a  desire  to  do  and  to 
dare,  to  be  useful  to  others,  to  live  to  the  ut 
most  of  my  faculties,  and  to  be  rooted  in  the 
mysterious  ground  from  which  springs  all  the 
life  that  unfolds  itself  in  the  world.  I  came 
into  being,  and  I  shall  pass  out  of  existence. 
I  believe  that  I  existed  before  I  was  born,  and 


KING  KANISHKA.  55 

that  I  shall  exist  after  my  death.  But  these 
other  incarnations  of  mine  are  after  all  other 
than  myself,  other  at  least  than  my  present  ex 
istence.  I  understand  very  well  that  I  am  a 
reproduction  of  the  life  impulses  that  preceded 
me,  and  that  I  shall  continue  in  subsequent  re 
productions  of  my  karma.  But  I  feel  my  pres 
ent  self  to  be  the  form  of  this  life  which  will 
pass  away,  and  I  yearn  for  a  union  with  that 
eternal  substratum  of  all  life  which  will  never 
pass  away/' 

Kanishka  said :  "While  I  was  ill  I  had  occa 
sion  to  meditate  on  the  problem  of  life  and 
life's  relation  to  death.  Once  I  was  dreaming ; 
and  in  the  dream  I  was  not  Prince  Kanishka, 
but  a  king,  not  King  of  Gandhara,  but  of  some 
unknown  country,  and  I  was  leading  my  men 
in  battle ;  and  it  happened,  as  in  the  case  of  my 
brother,  that  I  was  victorious,  and  the  hostile 
army  before  me  turned  in  wild  flight,  but  in 
the  moment  of  victory  a  dying  enemy  shot  an 
arrow  at  me  which  pierced  my  heart,  and  I 
knew  my  end  was  come.  There  was  a  pang  of 
death,  but  it  was  not  an  unpleasant  sensation, 
for  my  last  thought  was:  'Death  in  battle  is 


56  AMITABHA. 

better  than  to  live  defeated/13  I  awoke.  A 
gentle  perspiration  covered  my  forehead,  and 
I  felt  as  though  I  had  passed  through  a  crisis 
in  which  I  had  gained  a  new  lease  of  life.  My 
dream  had  been  so  vivid  that  when  I  awoke 
I  had  the  impression  that  I  and  all  the  visions 
that  surrounded  me  had  been  annihilated;  yet 
after  a  while,  when  my  mind  was  again  fully 
adjusted,  the  dream  appeared  empty  to  me,  a 
mere  phantasma  and  illusion.  Will  it  not  be 
similar,  if  at  the  moment  of  death  we  make 
our  final  entrance  into  Nirvana?  Nirvana 
appears  to  us  in  our  present  existence  as  a 
negative  state,  but  our  present  existence  is 
phenomenal,  while  Nirvana  is  the  abiding 
state." 

Charaka  replied:  "I  should  think  there  is 
much  truth  in  your  words.  But  the  Tathagata 
teaches  that  by  attaining  enlightenment,  we 
shall  enter  Nirvana  even  in  this  present  life; 
and  if  we  do  so,  it  seems  to  me  that  our  main 
advantage  lies  in  the  comprehension  of  the 
transiency  of  all  bodily  existence  and  the  per 
manence  of  our  spiritual  nature.  Death  has 
lost  its  terrors  to  him  who  sees  the  immortal 


KING  KANISHKA.  57 

state.  He  knows  that  in  death  he  sloughs  off 
the  mortal.  But  here  my  difficulty  begins.  I 
long  for  Nirvana  only  as  a  means  to  enrich  this 
present  life.  &+*<>£  ff^,  ^  i+tfL+J-'fc*.  7^~ 
"The  Tathagata  teaches  that  life  is  suffer 
ing,  and  he  is  right.^I  do  not  doubt  it.  He 
has  further  discovered  the  way  of  emancipa 
tion,  which  is  the  eightfold  noble  path  of  right 
eousness.  Now,  I  love  life  in  spite  of  its  suf 
fering,  and  I  am  charmed  with  love.  Love  is 
life-giving,  heart-gladdening,  courage-inspi 
ring!  Oh,  I  love  love,  real  worldly  love!  I 
admire  heroism,  the  wild  heroism  of  the  battle 
field!  I  long  for  wisdom,  not  the  wisdom  of 
the  monks,  but  practical  science  which  teaches 
us  the  why  and  wherefore  of  things  and  im 
parts  to  us  the  wizard's  power  over  nature. 
Now,  with  all  this  I  love  righteousness;  I  feel 
the  superiority  of  religious  calmness,  and  the 
blissfulness  of  Nirvana.  I  do  not  cling  to  self, 
but  desire  to  apply  myself:  I  want  a  field  of 
activity.  All  these  conflicting  thoughts  pro 
duce  in  me  the  longing  for  a  solution :  there  it 
lies  before  me  as  an  ideal  which  I  cannot  grasp, 
and  I  call  it  God.  Oh,  that  I  could  speak  to  the 


58  AMITABHA. 

Tathagata  face  to  face ;  that  I  could  go  to  him 
for  enlightenment,  that  I  could  learn  the  truth 
so  as  to  walk  on  the  right  path  and  find  peace 
of  soul  in  the  tribulations  of  life.  Since  the 
Lord  Buddha  is  no  longer  walking  with  us  in 
the  flesh,  there  is  only  one  man  in  the  world 
who  can  help  me  in  my  distress,  and  that  is  the 
great  disciple  of  the  Blessed  Master,  the  phi 
losopher  and  saint  Agvaghosha  of  Magadha." 
"Agvaghosha  of  Magadha!"  replied  the 
king.  "Very  well !  We  are  waging  war  with 
the  king  of  Magadha.  Let  the  prize  of  combat 
be  the  possession  of  Agvaghosha!" 


MAGADHA. 

WAR  is  always  deplorable,  but  sometimes 
it  cannot  be  avoided.  And  if  that  be 
the  case,  far  from  shunning  it,  a  ruler,  re 
sponsible  for  the  welfare  of  his  people,  should 
carry  it  on  resolutely  and  courageously  with 
the  one  aim  in  view  of  bringing  it  speedily  to 
a  happy  conclusion. 

Such  was  Kanishka's  maxim,  and  he  acted 
accordingly.  Having  gathered  as  strong  an 
army  as  he  could  muster,  he  surprised  the 
mountaineers  by  coming  upon  them  suddenly 
with  superior  forces  from  both  sides.  They 
made  a  desperate  resistance,  but  he  overthrew 
them  and,  leaving  garrisons  in  some  places  of 
strategic  importance,  carried  the  war  farther 
into  the  heart  of  the  kingdom  of  Magadha.  He 
descended  into  the  valley  of  the  Ganges,  and 
hurrying  by  forced  marches  through  the  vassal 
kingdoms  of  Delhi  and  Sravasti,  the  Gandhara 


60  AMITABHA. 

army  marched  in  four  columns  toward  the  cap 
ital  of  the  country. 

Subahu,  king  of  Magadha,  met  his  adver 
sary  in  the  field  near  Pataliputra  with  an  army 
that  had  been  rapidly  assembled,  but  he  could 
not  stay  the  invader's  victorious  progress.  In 
several  engagements  his  troops  were  scattered 
to  the  four  winds,  his  elephants  captured,  and 
he  was  obliged  to  retire  to  the  fortress  of  Pa 
taliputra.  There  he  was  besieged,  and  when 
he  saw  that  no  hope  of  escape  was  left  he  de 
cided  to  make  no  further  resistance  and  sent 
a  messenger  to  king  Kanishka,  asking  him  for 
terms  of  peace. 

The  victor  demanded  an  indemnity  of  three 
hundred  million  gold  pieces,  a  sum  which  the 
whole  kingdom  could  not  produce. 

When  the  besieged  king  asked  for  less  se 
vere  terms,  Kanishka  replied :  "If  you  are  anx 
ious  to  procure  peace,  come  out  to  me  in  person 
and  I  will  listen  to  your  proposition.  I  wish 
to  see  you.  Let  us  meet  face  to  face,  and  we 
will  consider  our  difficulties." 

Subahu,  knowing  the  uselessness  of  further 
resistance,  came  out  with  his  minister  and  ac- 


MAGADHA.  61 

companied  by  his  retinue.  He  was  conducted 
into  the  presence  of  Kanishka,  who  requested 
him  to  be  seated. 

The  king  of  Magadha  complied  with  the  re 
quest  of  his  victorious  rival  with  the  air  of  a 
high-minded  man,  the  guest  of  his  equal.  Ka 
nishka  frowned  upon  him.  He  observed  the 
self-possession  of  his  conquered  foe  with  a 
feeling  of  resentment,  which,  however,  was 
somewhat  alloyed  with  admiration. 

After  a  pause  he  addressed  the  royal  peti 
tioner  as  follows :  "Why  didst  thou  not  render 
justice  to  me  when  I  asked  for  it?" 

"My  intentions  were  good,"  replied  Subahu, 
"I  wanted  to  preserve  peace.  The  mountain 
eers  are  restless,  but  they  are  religious  and  full 
of  faith.  Their  chieftains  assured  me  the  peo 
ple  had  only  retaliated  wrongs  that  they  had 
suffered  themselves.  Trying  to  be  fair  and 
just  to  my  vassals,  I  roused  the  worse  evil 
of  war,  and  in  preserving  the  peace  at  home 
I  conjured  up  the  specter  of  hostility  from 
abroad.  He  who  would  avoid  trouble  some 
times  breeds  greater  misfortune." 

"In   other   words,"    interrupted   King   Ka- 


62  AMITABHA. 

nishka  sternly,  "your  weakness  prevented  you 
from  punishing  the  evil-doers  under  your  juris 
diction,  and  being  incapable  of  governing  your 
kingdom,  you  lost  your  power  and  the  right  to 
rule." 

"Sir,"  replied  the  humiliated  monarch  with 
calm  composure,  "thou  art  the  victor  and  thou 
canst  deal  with  me  at  thy  pleasure,  but  if  the 
fortunes  of  the  day  had  turned  against  thee, 
thou  mightest  stand  now  before  me  in  the  same 
degraded  position  in  which  thou  now  seest  me. 
But  the  difference  is  this:  I  have  a  clean  con 
science;  I  have  proved  peaceful;  I  never  gave 
offence  to  anybody, — consciously.  Thou  hast 
carried  the  war  into  my  country.  Thou  art 
the  offender;  and  shouldst  thou  condemn  me 
to  die,  I  shall  die  innocent  to  be  reborn  in  a 
happier  state  under  more  auspicious  condi 
tions.  The  Lord  Buddha  be  praised!" 

Kanishka  was  astonished  at  the  boldness  of 
the  king's  speech,  but  he  mastered  his  anger 
and  replied  calmly:  "Art  thou  so  ignorant  as 
not  to  know  that  a  ruler's  first  duty  is  justice, 
and  to  me  justice  thou  hast  refused!" 

"Man's  first  duty  is  to  seek  salvation,"  re- 


MAGADHA.  63 

plied  the  king  of  Magadha,  "and  salvation  is 
not  obtained  by  harshness  but  by  piety." 

The  king  of  Gandhara  rose  to  his  feet :  "Thou 
art  fitted  for  a  monk,  not  a  monarch.  Thou 
hadst  better  retire  to  the  cloistered  cell  of  a  Vi- 
hara  than  occupy  the  throne  of  a  great  empire. 
What  is  the  use  of  piety  if  it  does  not  help  thee 
to  attend  to  the  duties  of  thy  high  office?  It 
leads  thee  into  misery  and  has  cost  thee  thy 
throne.  The  world  cannot  prosper  on  the  prin 
ciples  which  thou  followest." 

Subahu  seemed  imperturbable,  and  without 
deigning  to  look  at  the  incensed  face  of  his 
vituperator  he  exclaimed:  "What  is  the  world 
if  we  but  gain  salvation?  Let  all  the  thrones 
on  earth  be  lost  and  whole  nations  perish  if 
only  emancipation  can  be  obtained !  We  want 
escape,  not  secular  enhancement/' 

Kanishka  stared  at  the  speaker  as  if  unable 
to  comprehend  his  frame  of  mind,  and  Subahu 
without  showing  any  concern  quoted  a  stanza 
from  the  Dhammapada,  saying: 

"The  king's  mighty  chariots  of  iron  will  rust, 
And  also  our  bodies  resolve  into  dust ; 


64  AMITABHA. 

But  deeds,  'tis  sure, 
For  aye  endure."14 

Filled  with  admiration  of  Subahu's  forti 
tude,  Kanishka  said:  "I  see  thou  art  truly  a 
pious  man.  But  thy  piety  is  not  of  the  right 
kind.  Thy  way  of  escape  leads  into  emptiness, 
and  thy  salvation  is  hollow.  This  world  is  the 
place  in  which  the  test  of  truth  must  be  made ; 
and  this  life  is  the  time  in  which  it  is  our  duty 
to  attain  Nirvana.  But  I  will  not  now  upbraid 
thee  for  thy  errors ;  I  will  first  raise  thee  to  a 
dignified  position  in  which  thou  canst  answer 
me  and  give  thy  arguments.  I  understand 
that  thou  art  a  faithful  disciple  of  the  Buddha 
and  meanest  to  do  that  which  is  right.  I  re 
spect  thy  sincerity  and  greet  thee  as  a  brother. 
Therefore  I  will  not  deprive  thee  of  thy  crown 
and  title,  but  I  insist  on  the  penalty  of  three 
hundred  million  gold  pieces.  Thou  shalt  re 
main  king  with  the  understanding  that  hence 
forth  thou  takest  council  with  me  on  all  ques 
tions  of  political  importance,  for  I  see  clearly 
that  thou  standest  in  need  of  advice.  But  in 
place  of  the  three  hundred  million  gold  pieces 
I  will  accept  substitutes  which  I  deem  worth 


MAGADHA.  65 

that  amount.  First,  thou  shalt  deliver  into  my 
hands  the  bowl  which  the  Tathagata,  the  Bles 
sed  Buddha,  carried  in  his  hand  when  he  was 
walking  on  earth,  and,  secondly,  as  a  ransom 
for  thy  royal  person  which  I  hold  here  besieged 
in  Pataliputra  I  request  from  thee  the  philos 
opher  Agvaghosha  whose  fame  has  spread 
through  all  the  countries  where  the  religion  of 
enlightenment  is  preached." 

The  vanquished  king  said :  "Truly,  the  bowl 
of  Buddha  and  the  philosopher  Agvaghosha 
are  amply  worth  three  hundred  million  gold 
pieces,  and  yet  I  must  confess  that  thou  art 
generous  and  thy  conditions  of  peace  are  fair." 

"Do  not  call  me  generous,"  said  Kanishka, 
embracing  the  king  of  Magadha,  "I  am  only 
worldly  wise ;  and  it  is  not  my  own  wisdom.  I 
have  learned  the  maxims  of  my  politics  from 
the  Blessed  One,  the  great  Buddha." 


ACVAGHOSHA. 

BUDDHA'S  birthday  was  celebrated  with 
greater  rejoicing  than  usual  in  the  year 
following  king  Kanishka's  invasion,  which 
took  place  in  the  fifth  century  after  the  Nir 
vana.  The  formidable  invaders  had  become 
friends  and  the  people  were  joyful  that  the 
war  clouds  had  dispersed  so  rapidly. 

Kanishka  was  in  good  spirits.  He  was 
elated  by  his  success,  but  it  had  not  made  him 
overbearing,  and  he  was  affable  to  all  who  ap 
proached  him.  In  a  short  time  he  had  become 
the  most  powerful  monarch  of  India,  his  sway 
extending  far  beyond  the  boundaries  of  his 
own  kingdom.  His  generals  had  been  vic 
torious  over  the  Parthians  in  the  far  west,  and 
his  alliance  with  the  king  of  Magadha  made 
him  practically  ruler  over  the  valley  of  the 
Ganges.  But  more  effective  than  his  strategy 
and  the  might  of  his  armies  was  the  kindness 


ACVAGHOSHA.  67 

which  he  showed  to  his  vanquished  enemies. 
Princes  of  smaller  dominions  willingly  ac 
knowledged  his  superiority  and  submitted  to 
him  their  difficulties  because  they  cherished  an 
unreserved  confidence  in  his  fairness  and  love 
of  justice.  Thus  was  laid  the  foundation  of  a 
great  empire  upon  whose  civilisation  the  reli 
gion  of  the  Enlightened  One  exercised  a  de 
cided  influence.  Peace  was  established,  com 
merce  and  trade  flourished,  and  Greek  sculp 
tors  flocked  to  Gandhara,  transplanting  the  art 
of  their  home  to  the  soil  of  India. 

It  was  the  beginning  of  India's  golden  age 
which  lasted  as  long  as  the  Dharma,  the  doc 
trine  of  the  Tathagata,  was  kept  pure  and  un- 
defiled.  A  holy  enthusiasm  seized  the  hearts 
of  the  people  and  there  were  many  who  felt 
an  anxiety  to  spread  the  blessings  of  religion 
over  the  whole  world.  Missionaries  went  out 
who  reached  Thibet  and  China  and  even  far- 
off  Japan  where  they  sowed  the  seeds  of  truth 
and  spread  the  blessings  of  lovingkindness  and 
charity. 

Kanishka  and  the  king  of  Magadha  enjoyed 
each  other's  company.  The  two  allied  mon- 


68  AMITABHA. 

archs  started  on  a  peaceful  pilgrimage  to  the 
various  sacred  spots  of  the  country.  They 
visited  Lumbini,  the  birthplace  of  the  Bodhi- 
sattva.  Thence  passing  over  the  site  of  Kapi- 
lavastu,  the  residence  of  Shuddhodana,  Bud 
dha's  father  in  the  flesh  and  the  haunt  of  Prince 
Siddhartha  in  his  youth,  they  went  to  the  Bodhi 
tree  at  Buddhagaya  and  returned  to  the  cap 
ital  Benares,  to  celebrate  the  birth  festival  of 
the  Buddha  in  the  Deer  Park,  on  the  very  spot 
where  the  revered  Teacher  had  set  the  wheel 
of  truth  in  motion  to  roll  onward  for  the  best 
of  mankind, — the  wheel  of  truth  which  no  god, 
no  demon,  nor  any  other  power,  be  it  human, 
divine  or  infernal,  should  ever  be  able  to  turn 
back. 

A  procession  went  out  to  the  holy  place  and 
circumambulated  the  stupa,  erected  on  the  sa 
cred  spot  in  commemoration  of  the  memorable 
event,  and  the  two  monarchs,  who  had  but  a 
short  time  before  met  as  foes  on  the  battle 
field,  walked  together  like  brothers,  preceded 
by  white-robed  virgins  bearing  flowers,  and 
followed  by  priests  chanting  gathas  of  the 
blessings  of  the  good  law  and  swinging  cen- 


ACVAGHOSHA.  69 

sers.  No  display  of  arms  was  made  but  multi 
tudes  of  peaceful  citizens  hailed  the  two  rulers 
and  blessed  the  magnanimity  of  the  hero  of 
Gandhara. 

When  the  procession  halted,  Kanishka  and 
his  brother  king  stood  in  front  of  a  statue  of 
the  Buddha  and  watched  the  process  of  de 
positing  flowers.  "Who  is  the  beautiful  maiden 
that  is  leading  the  flower  carriers  ?"  asked  Ka 
nishka  of  the  king  of  Magadha  in  a  whisper; 
and  the  latter  replied:  "It  is  Bhadragri,  my 
only  daughter." 

Kanishka  followed  with  his  eye  the  graceful 
movements  of  the  princess  and  breathed  a 
prayer:  "Adoration  to  the  Buddha!"  he  said 
to  himself  in  the  silent  recesses  of  his  heart. 
"The  Buddha  has  guided  my  steps  and  induced 
me  to  make  peace  before  the  demons  of  war 
could  do  more  mischief.  I  now  vow  to  myself 
that  if  the  princess  will  accept  me  I  shall  lead 
her  as  queen  to  my  capital  and  she  shall  be 
the  mother  of  the  kings  of  Gandhara  to  come. 
May  the  Tathagata's  blessing  be  on  us  and  my 
people !" 

At  the  stupa  of  the  first  sermon  of  the  Bud- 


70  AMITABHA. 

dha,  peace  was  definitely  concluded.  The  king 
of  Magadha  delivered  to  his  powerful  ally  the 
sacred  bowl,  a  treasure  which,  though  small 
in  size,  was  esteemed  worth  more  than  half 
the  kingdom  of  Magadha;  and  Aqvaghosha, 
the  old  philosopher,  was  bidden  to  appear  at 
court  and  be  ready  to  accompany  the  ruler  of 
Gandhara  to  his  home  in  the  northwest  of  In 
dia. 

Aqvaghosha  arrived  at  the  Deer  Park  in  a 
royal  carriage  drawn  by  white  horses,  and 
there  he  was  presented  to  King  Kanishka.  He 
bowed  reverently  and  said:  "Praised  be  the 
Lord  Buddha  for  his  blessed  teachings !  Glad 
ness  fills  my  heart  when  I  think  how  your  maj 
esty  treats  your  vanquished  foe.  The  victo 
rious  enemy  has  become  a  friend  and  brother, 
making  an  end  of  all  hostility  forever." 

"Good,  my  friend/'  replied  Kanishka;  "if 
there  is  any  merit  in  my  action  I  owe  thanks 
for  my  karma  to  the  Tathagata.  He  is  my 
teacher  and  I  bless  the  happy  day  on  which  I 
became  his  disciple.  My  knowledge,  however, 
is  imperfect  and  even  my  learned  friend  Cha- 
raka  is  full  of  doubts  on  subjects  of  grave  im- 


ACVAGHOSHA.  71 

portance.  Therefore  I  invite  you  to  accom 
pany  me  to  Gandhara,  where  my  people  and 
myself  are  sorely  in  need  of  your  wisdom  and 
experience." 

"Your  invitation  is  flattering/'  said  the  phi 
losopher,  "and  it  is  tendered  in  kindly  words ; 
but  I  pray  you,  noble  sir,  leave  me  at  home. 
I  am  an  aged  man  and  could  scarcely  stand 
the  exertion  of  the  journey.  But  I  know  a 
worthy  scholar,  Jnanayaqa,  who  is  well  versed 
in  the  doctrine  of  our  Lord  and  much  younger 
than  I.  He  may  go  in  my  place;  and  should 
I  grow  stronger  I  shall  be  glad  to  visit  you  in 
Gandhara." 

"Charaka !"  said  the  king,  "have  a  room 
fitted  up  for  Aqvaghosha  in  our  residence  at 
Benares,  and  so  long  as  we  remain  here  he 
shall  pass  the  time  in  our  company.  Let  him 
be  present  at  our  meals,  and  when  we  rest  in 
the  evening  from  the  labors  of  the  day  let  us 
listen  to  the  words  of  the  philosopher  who  is 
regarded  as  the  best  interpreter  of  the  signifi 
cance  of  Buddha's  teachings." 


AMITABHA. 

ONE  evening  when  King  Kanishka  to 
gether  with  his  friend  Charaka  enjoyed 
the  company  of  Agvaghosha,  the  youthful  ruler 
of  Gandhara  turned  to  the  venerable  philos 
opher  with  this  request :  "And  now,  worshipful 
master,  tell  us,  do  we  worship  in  Buddha  a 
god  or  a  man?" 

Replied  Agvaghosha:  "Buddha  is  neither  a 
god  nor  a  man ;  he  is  more  than  either,  for  he 
is  perfection  incarnate.  We  worship  in  Bud 
dha  wisdom  and  goodness,  that  is,  the  com 
prehension  and  application  of  the  truth,  which 
are  the  qualities  that  alone  render  the  gods 
divine.  Truth  is  eternal,  but  all  actual  beings, 
not  even  excluding  the  gods,  are  transient." 

Charaka  interposed:  "We  do  not  speak  of 
the  gods,  but  of  God,  which  means  divinity 
itself.  What  would  the  Buddha  have  taught 
about  God?" 


AMITABHA.  73 

Kanishka  added:  "We  mean  God,  not  in  the 
sense  of  Brahma,  the  principle  of  existence, 
nor  of  Ishvara,  a  personal  Lord  and  manu 
facturer  of  universes,  but  God  as  goodness, 
as  truth,  as  righteousness,  as  love?  Does  God 
in  this  sense  exist  or  not?  Is  it  a  dream  or  a 
reality ?  What  is  it  and  how  do  we  know  of  it?" 

"You  ask  a  question  to  answer  which  will 
take  a  book.  But  I  shall  be  brief.  Certainly, 
God  in  this  sense  is  a  reality.  God,  in  this 
sense  is  the  good  law  that  shapes  existence, 
leading  life  step  by  step  onward  and  upward 
toward  its  highest  goal — enlightenment.  Rec 
ognition  of  this  law  gives  us  light  on  the  con 
ditions  of  our  existence  so  as  to  render  it  pos 
sible  for  us  to  find  the  right  path;  and  we 
call  it  Dharmakaya,  the  body  of  the  good  law, 
or  Amitabha,  the  source  of  infinite  light,  or 
by  some  other  name.  It  is  the  norm  of  all  nature 
involving  the  bliss  of  goodness  and  the  curse 
of  wrong  doing  according  to  irrefragable  cau 
sation." 

"Accordingly,  a  man  is  not  a  Buddha  by 
birth,  but  he  can  become  a  Buddha  by  attain 
ing  to  Buddhahood,"  said  the  king  inquiringly. 


74  AMITABHA. 

"Exactly  so,"  replied  Aqvaghosha.  'The 
highest  truth  is  not  a  fabrication  of  the  mind ; 
the  highest  truth  is  eternal.15  Shakyamuni  at 
tained  to  Buddhahood,  and  there  were  many 
who  saw  him,  yet  they  did  not  behold  in  him 
the  Buddha;  while  now,  after  he  has  entered 
into  Paranirvana,  there  are  many  who  never 
saw  him  in  the  body,  yet  having  attained  faith 
may  truly  be  said  to  behold  the  Buddha,  for  the 
Buddha  can  be  recognised  with  the  mind's  eye 
alone."16 

"Then  Amitabha  is  the  principle  of  being 
as  much  as  Brahma?"  enquired  Charaka. 

"Brahma  is  a  personification  of  the  prin 
ciple  of  being,"  replied  Aqvaghosha,  "but  Ami 
tabha  is  the  standard  of  being.  Amitabha  is 
the  intrinsic  law  which,  whenever  being  rises 
into  existence,  moulds  life  and  develops  it,  pro 
ducing  uniformities  and  regularities  in  both 
the  world  of  realities  and  the  realm  of  thought. 
It  is  the  source  of  rationality  and  righteous 
ness,  of  science  and  of  morality,  of  philosophy 
and  religion.  The  sage  of  the  Shakyas  is  one 
ray  of  its  light  only,  albeit  for  us  the  most 
powerful  ray,  with  the  clearest,  brightest,  and 


AMITABHA.  75 

purest  light.  He  is  the  light  that  came  to  us 
here  in  this  world  and  in  our  country.  Where 
soever  wisdom  appears,  there  is  an  incarna 
tion,  more  or  less  partial,  more  or  less  com 
plete,  of  Amitabha." 

"But  existence/'  rejoined  Charaka,  "is  dif 
ferent  from  the  good  law.  Being  is  one  thing 
and  the  norm  that  moulds  it  another.  There 
is  the  great  question,  whether  or  not  life  itself 
is  wrong.  If  life  is  wrong,  the  joy  of  living 
is  sin,  the  enhancement  of  life,  including  its 
reproduction,  an  error,  and  love,  the  love  of 
husband  and  wife,  becomes  a  just  cause  for 
repentance/' 

"Mark  the  doctrine,  noble  youth,  and  act 
accordingly/'  replied  Agvaghosha.  "I  read  in 
your  eyes  the  secret  of  your  heart  which 
prompts  you  to  ask  this  question.  Goodness 
is  a  reality  which  exists  in  both  existence  and 
non-existence.  Call  it  God  or  Amitabha,  or 
Allhood,  or  the  eternal  and  uncreated,  the  uni 
versal  law,  the  not-bodily,  the  nothing  or  non- 
existence,  for  it  is  not  concrete  nor  material, 
nor  real  to  the  senses, — yet  it  exists,  it  is  spir 
itual  and  can  be  discovered  by  the  mind;  it  is 


76  AMITABHA. 

and  remains  for  all  that  exists  the  intrinsic 
and  necessary  norm;  it  is  the  rule  and  regu 
lation  for  both  things  and  thoughts.  It  is  om 
nipresent  in  the  universe,  invisible,  impalpable, 
as  a  perfume  that  permeates  a  room.  What 
ever  makes  its  appearance  as  a  concrete  reality 
is  affected  by  its  savor  and  nothing  can  be 
withdrawn  from  its  sway.  It  is  not  existence 
itself,  but  the  womb  of  existence;  it  is  that 
which  gives  definite  shape  to  beings,  moulding 
them  and  determining  them  according  to  con 
ditions.  You  have  Amitabha  in  two  aspects 
as  the  formation  of  particular  existence  and  as 
the  general  law  of  universal  types.  The  par 
ticular  is  the  realisation  of  the  universal;  and 
the  universal  constitutes  the  type  of  the  partic 
ular,  giving  it  a  definite  character.  Neither  is 
without  the  other.  Mere  particularity  is  be 
ing  in  a  state  of  ignorance;  thus  all  life  starts 
in  ignorance;  but  mere  universality  is  exist 
ence  unrealised ;  it  is  as  though  existence  were 
not.  Therefore  enjoyment  of  life  is  not  wrong 
and  the  love  of  husband  and  wife  is  no  cause 
for  repentance,  if  it  be  but  the  right  love,  true 


AMITABHA.  77 

and  unfailing  and  making  each  willing  to  bear 
the  burdens  of  the  other. 

'The  Lord  spoke  not  of  God,  because  the 
good  law  that  becomes  incarnated  in  Buddha- 
hood  is  not  a  somebody,  not  an  entity,  not  an 
ego,  not  even  a  ghost.  As  there  is  not  a  ghost- 
soul,  so  there  is  not  a  ghost-God/' 

Said  Charaka:  "Now  I  understand  the  pic 
ture  of  the  Lord  Buddha  with  his  two  attend 
ants,  Love  as  Particularity  on  the  elephant 
and  Wisdom  as  Universality  on  the  lion. 
Ananda,  the  disciple  of  loving  service,  and  Ka- 
shyapa,  the  disciple  of  philosophical  intellectu 
ality,  have  approached  their  master  and 
grasped  the  significance  of  his  doctrine  from 
two  opposite  and  contrasting  sides/' 

"Those  who  mortify  their  bodies/'  continued 
Aqvaghosha,  "have  not  understood  the  doc 
trine.  We  are  not  ego-souls.  For  that  rea 
son  the  thought  of  an  individual  escape,  the 
salvation  of  our  ego-soul,  is  a  heresy  and  an 
illusion.  We  all  stand  together  and  every  man 
must  work  for  the  salvation  of  mankind. 
Therefore  I  love  to  compare  the  doctrine  of 
the  Buddha  to  a  great  ship  or  a  grand  vehicle 


78  AMITABHA. 

— a  Mahayana — in  which  there  is  room  for  all 
the  multitudes  of  living  beings  and  we  who 
stand  at  the  helm  must  save  them  all  or  perish 
with  them." 

Charaka  extended  his  hand  and  said:  "I 
thank  you,  venerable  sir,  for  the  light  you  have 
afforded  me.  I  sought  peace  of  soul  in  a  mon 
astery,  but  the  love  of  life,  the  love  of  God, 
the  love  of  knowledge,  the  love  of  my  heart, 
drove  me  back  to  the  world.  I  have  proved 
useful  to  King  Kanishka  as  a  physician,  per 
haps  also  as  a  friend,  and  as  a  disciple  of  the 
Tathagata;  and  the  problem  before  me  is, 
whether  it  is  right  for  me  to  remain  in  the 
world,  to  be  a  householder,  to  allow  the  par 
ticular,  the  sensual,  the  actual,  a  share  in  life 
by  the  side  of  the  universal,  the  spiritual,  the 
ideal." 

"Do  not  despise  the  particular,  the  sensual, 
the  actual,"  replied  Agvaghosha.  "In  the  ma 
terial  body  the  spiritual  truths  of  goodness  and 
love  and  veracity  are  actualised.  Existence 
if  it  is  mere  existence,  quantity  of  life  and  not 
quality,  is  worthless  and  contemptible.  The 
sage  despises  it.  The  sensual,  if  it  be  void  of 


AMITABHA.  79 

the  spiritual,  is  coarse  and  marks  the  brute. 
But  existence  is  not  wrong  in  itself,  nor  is  the 
sensual  without  its  good  uses.  The  sensual, 
in  its  very  particularity,  by  being  an  aspiration 
that  is  actual,  becomes  consecrated  in  spiritu 
ality.  Think  how  holy  is  the  kiss  of  true  love ; 
how  sacred  is  the  relation  between  husband 
and  wife.  It  is  the  particular  in  which  the 
universal  must  be  realised,  mere  abstract  good 
ness  will  become  apparent  only  in  the  vicissi 
tudes  of  actual  life." 

"If  I  could  serve  the  Buddha  as  a  house 
holder,  my  highest  ambition  would  be  to  be 
a  brother-in-law  to  King  Kanishka,"  replied 
Charaka. 

"I  know  it,"  said  Agvaghosha  with  a  smile, 
"for  the  emotions  of  your  heart  are  reflected 
in  your  eyes.  Go  home  and  greet  the  king's 
sister  with  a  saying  of  the  Blessed  One,  and 
when  you  are  married  may  your  happiness  be 
in  proportion  to  your  merit,  or  even  greater 
and  better.  Buddha's  doctrine  is  not  extinc 
tion,  not  nihilism,  but  a  liberation  of  man's 
heart  from  the  fetters  of  selfishness  and  from 
the  seclusion  of  a  separate  egoity.  It  is  not  the 


80  AMITABHA. 

suppression  or  eradication  of  love,  and  joy,  and 
family  ties,  but  their  perfection  and  sanctifi- 
cation;  not  a  cessation  of  life,  but  a  cessation 
of  ignorance,  indolence,  and  ill  will,  for  the 
sake  of  gaining  enlightenment,  which  is  life's 
end  and  aim." 

After  a  pause  Agvaghosha  added  pensively : 
"The  more  the  truth  spreads,  the  more  shall 
all  relations  and  conditions  be  transfigured  by 
Buddhahood.  Even  the  dumb  creatures  and 
inanimate  nature  are  yearning  for  their  eman 
cipation  that  is  to  come." 

"Your  instruction  has  benefited  me  too," 
said  Kanishka  to  the  philosopher,  and  turning 
round  to  the  king  of  Magadha,  he  continued, 
"but  you  my  noble  friend  and  host  are  still 
my  debtor.  Since  Aqvaghosha  on  account  of 
his  age  finds  himself  unable  to  follow  me  to 
Gandhara,  you  are  in  duty  bound  to  procure 
an  acceptable  substitute.  Now,  there  is  a  way 
of  settling  your  obligations  to  me,  and  that 
could  be  done  if  your  daughter,  the  Princess 
Bhadragri  would  consent  to  accept  my  hand 
and  accompany  me  to  Gandhara  as  my  wife 
and  queen !" 


AMITABHA.  81 

"My  august  friend,"  replied  the  king  of 
Magadha,  "I  know  that  the  Princess  worships 
you  for  the  heroism  you  have  displayed  in 
battle,  the  wisdom  you  have  shown  in  council, 
and  the  magnanimity  with  which  you  have 
dealt  with  your  conquered  enemy.  She  beholds 
in  you  not  only  the  ideal  of  royalty  but  also  the 
restorer  of  her  father's  fortunes,  worthy  of 
her  sincerest  gratitude.  It  is  but  for  you  to 
make  her  admiration  blossom  out  into  rich  love 
and  wifely  devotion." 


THE  CONSPIRACY. 

A  CVAGHOSHA  held  daily  conversations 
^~Y  with  Kanishka,  in  which  not  only  his 
friends  Charaka  and  the  king  of  Magadha, 
but  also  Princess  Bhadraqri,  his  bride-elect, 
were  now  wont  to  join. 

One  day  Subahu  was  detained  by  important 
affairs  of  state,  and  when  he  made  his  appear 
ance  in  the  accustomed  circle  of  his  philosoph 
ical  friends,  he  was  so  full  of  distress  as  to 
be  almost  beyond  the  power  of  speech. 

"My  royal  friend,"  said  Kanishka,  "what 
disturbs  your  mind?  How  terrible  must  the 
calamity  be  that  so  affects  a  man  of  your  com 
posure  !  Are  you  or  one  of  your  kin  in  danger 
of  death,  or  pray,  what  else  is  the  cause  of  your 
trouble?" 

"My  dear  friend  and  ally,"  replied  king  Su 
bahu,  "it  is  your  life  that  is  endangered.  I 
come  to  take  counsel  with  you  as  to  how  we 


THE  CONSPIRACY.  83 

may  save  you  from  the  perilous  situation  in 
which  the  false  patriotism  of  my  people  has 
placed  you.  Some  of  my  southern  generals 
having  but  lately  arrived  with  subsidies  which 
ought  to  have  been  with  me  at  the  beginning 
of  the  war,  entered  into  a  conspiracy  with  my 
prime  minister  to  surround  the  palace,  take  you 
prisoner  and  put  you  to  the  sword ;  then  to  at 
tack  your  unwary  soldiers  and  drive  them  out 
of  the  country.  Everything  has  been  planned 
in  the  strictest  privacy,  and  your  noble  confi 
dence  in  my  faith  and  friendship  made  it  easy 
for  them  to  replace  the  guards  gradually  by 
their  friends  until  they  now  have  everything 
their  own  way,  and  I  am  given  to  undersand 
that  unless  I  join  the  conspirators  they  will 
elect  another  king." 

"And  what  is  your  pleasure  in  this  matter  ?" 
asked  Kanishka,  who  betrayed  no  more  con 
cern  than  if  he  were  talking  about  a  game  of 
checkers. 

"My  pleasure?"  exclaimed  the  disconsolate 
king;  "ask  not  what  my  pleasure  is.  I  see  only 
my  duty,  and  that  is  to  save  you  or  to  die  with 
you!" 


84  AMITABHA. 

Kanishka  was  a  man  of  deeds,  not  of  words. 
He  bade  Charaka  at  once  to  hoist  on  the  tower 
of  the  palace  a  blue  flag,  which  was  the  secret 
sign  to  summon  the  Gandhara  generals  that 
were  camping  in  the  vicinity  of  the  town. 
Having  inquired  into  the  situation  and  learned 
that  all  the  gates  were  in  possession  of  the 
conspirators,  he  requested  the  king  to  call  into 
his  presence  the  treacherous  prime  minister 
who  was  at  the  head  of  the  conspiracy,  indi 
cating,  as  though  nothing  had  happened,  that 
he  wanted  to  speak  to  him. 

The  prime  minister  entered,  and  the  king 
spoke  to  him  graciously  about  his  fidelity  to 
King  Subahu  and  the  kingdom  of  Magadha, 
and  said  that  he  himself,  anxious  to  honor  the 
people  of  Magadha,  wished  to  show  him  some 
recognition  and  confer  some  favor  on  him,  the 
most  faithful  servant  of  King  Subahu. 

While  King  Kanishka  thus  idled  away  the 
time  the  prime  minister  felt  uneasy,  for  his 
fellow  -  conspirators,  the  generals  from  the 
south,  were  waiting  for  the  signal  to  over 
power  the  few  foreign  guards,  to  close  the 
gates,  and  take  possession  of  the  palace.  Ka- 


THE  CONSPIRACY.  85 

nishka  in  the  meanwhile  inquired  as  to  his 
health,  his  general  prosperity,  his  children,  his 
brothers  and  sisters,  until  the  prime  minister 
lost  patience  and  said :  "Sire,  allow  me  to  with 
draw  ;  a  number  of  my  friends  from  the  south 
ern  provinces,  men  of  great  prominence  in 
their  distant  homes,  have  arrived  and  are  anx 
ious  to  meet  me  and  my  sovereign." 

With  a  royal  courtesy  which  could  not  be 
refused,  King  Kanishka  replied:  "Let  me  ac 
company  you  to  greet  them.  Your  friends  are 
my  friends,  and  the  vassals  of  my  most  noble 
ally  King  Subahu  are  my  allies." 

The  prime  minister  blushed  and  looked  in 
quiringly  at  the  king;  but  King  Kanishka's  eye 
was  calm  and  showed  not  the  least  sign  of  sus 
picion.  At  the  same  time  there  was  a  firmness 
and  determination  in  the  king's  attitude  which 
made  the  treacherous  minister  wince  and  sub 
mit. 

"This  is  the  way  to  the  hall  where  my  friends 
are  assembled,"  said  the  prime  minister,  and 
showed  the  king  the  way. 

"Wait  a  moment,"  said  King  Kanishka,  "it 
would  be  wrong  of  us  if  my  royal  brother,  King 


86  AMITABHA. 

Subahu,  were  not  present.  Let  us  call  my  coun 
cilors  and  generals  so  as  to  indicate  our  desire 
to  honor  your  guests." 

In  the  meantime  some  of  the  horsemen  had 
arrived,  and  their  officers  demanded  admission 
at  the  palace  gates  to  report  their  presence  to 
the  king.  They  were  announced  and  admitted. 

"Welcome,  my  gallant  officers,"  exclaimed 
King  Kanishka,  "join  my  retinue  when  I  greet 
the  friends  of  the  prime  minister,  and  let  your 
men  remain  under  arms  at  the  main  gate  ready 
to  receive  my  commands." 

Thus  the  two  kings  with  a  stately  retinue 
both  of  dignified  councilors  and  warlike  offi 
cers  entered  the  hall  where  the  conspirators 
were  impatiently  waiting.  They  were  dumb 
founded  when  they  saw  at  the  side  of  their 
most  hated  enemy  their  own  sovereign  accom 
panied  by  the  prime  minister  with  downcast 
eye,  meek  as  a  tame  doe  and  giving  no  sign 
for  action.  Then  Kanishka  addressed  the  con 
spirators  with  great  cordiality  as  though  he 
had  long  desired  to  meet  them  and  show  them 
his  good  will.  He  praised  the  generals  for 
their  valor,  for  their  love  of  their  country. 


THE  CONSPIRACY.  87 

their  faithfulness  to  their  king,  and  expressed 
his  great  happiness  that  the  old  times  of  na 
tional  hatred  had  passed  away,  that  the  two 
nations  Magadha  and  Gandhara  should  forth 
with  be  like  brothers,  and  that  they  would  join 
to  set  a  good  example  to  the  world  by  obeying 
the  maxim  of  the  Tathagata: 

"Hate  is  not  overcome  by  hate ; 
By  love  alone  'tis  quelled. 
This  is  a  truth  of  ancient  date, 
To-day  still  unexcelled."17 

Not  yet,  however,  had  the  ice  of  spite  and 
ill  will  entirely  melted  from  the  hostile  hearts 
of  his  enemies;  and  not  yet  was  his  retinue 
strong  enough  to  make  him  feel  master  of  the 
situation.  So  Kanishka  continued  his  policy 
of  gaining  time  by  having  each  one  of  the  hos 
tile  officers  personally  introduced  to  him  and, 
this  done,  he  began  to  address  the  company  a 
second  time. 

"Allow  me  to  improve  this  rare  opportunity 
of  having  so  many  friends  assembled  here,  to 
explain  my  policy.  I  am  a  disciple  of  the  Bud 
dha,  the  Blessed  One,  who  taught  us  to  make 


88  AMITABHA. 

an  end  of  hatred  by  ceasing  to  hate.  If  there 
be  any  just  cause  for  war,  let  us  have  war  and 
let  us  wage  war  openly  and  resolutely,  but  let 
us  ever  be  ready  to  offer  the  hand  of  brotherly 
good-will  to  our  enemies  without  cherishing 
feelings  of  revenge  for  the  injuries  we  may 
think  we  have  suffered.  The  policy  of  long 
suffering,  of  loving-kindness,  of  forgiveness, 
not  only  shows  goodness  of  heart  but  also  a 
rare  gift  of  wisdom,  as  all  those  are  aware 
who  know  the  story  of  King  Long-suffering 
and  his  noble  son  Prince  Long-life,  which  the 
Tathagata  told  to  the  quarrelsome  monks  of 
Kaushambi. 

King  Kanishka  then  told  the  story  of  Brah- 
madatta,  the  powerful  king  of  Benares, — how 
he  had  conquered  the  little  kingdom  of  Kosala 
and  had  the  captive  king  Long-suffering  exe 
cuted  in  Benares.  But  Prince  Long-life  escaped 
and,  unknown  to  any  one,  entered  the  service 
of  King  Brahmadatta,  whose  confidence  he 
gained  by  his  talents  and  reliability.  Thus 
be  became  King  Brahmadatta's  personal  at 
tendant. 

King  Kanishka  was  a  good  story-teller,  and 


THE  CONSPIRACY.  89 

the  people  of  India,  whether  of  high  or  low 
birth,  love  to  hear  a  story  well  told,  even  if 
they  know  it  by  heart.  So  the  conspirators 
were  as  though  spellbound  and  forgot  their 
evil  designs;  nor  did  they  notice  how  the  hall 
began  to  fill  more  and  more  with  the  officers 
of  the  king  of  Gandhara.  They  listened  to  the 
adventures  of  Prince  Long-life ;  how  on  a  hunt 
he  was  left  alone  with  King  Brahmadatta  in 
the  forest,  how  the  king  laid  himself  down  and 
slept,  how  the  prince  drew  his  sword,  how  the 
king  was  frightened  when  he  awoke  and 
learned  that  he  was  in  the  power  of  his  enemy's 
son;  and  finally  how  each  granted  the  other 
his  life  and  made  peace,  thus  demonstrating 
the  wisdom  of  the  maxim,  that  hatred  cannot 
be  appeased  by  hatred,  but  is  appeased  by  love, 
— and  by  love  only.18 

When  the  king  finished  the  story  of  Prince 
Long-life,  the  hall  was  crowded  with  armed 
officers  of  the  Gandhara  army,  and  seeing  his 
advantage,  King  Kanishka,  feeling  the  satis 
faction  of  one  who  had  gained  a  great  victory 
in  battle,  paused  and  glanced  with  a  good- 
natured  look  over  the  party  of  conspirators. 


90  AMITABHA. 

He  remained  as  self-possessed  as  a  school 
master  teaching  a  class  of  wayward  boys.  "I 
am  anxious  to  be  at  peace  with  all  the  world/' 
he  said,  "but  the  question  arises,  what  shall  be 
done  with  traitors  and  conspirators  who  mis 
understand  my  good  intentions  and  would  not 
brook  the  loving-kindness  of  our  great  mas 
ter?"  Then  addressing  the  prime  minister  of 
Magadha  by  his  full  name  and  title,  he  added : 
"Let  me  hear  your  advice,  my  friend.  I  meant 
to  promote  your  welfare,  while  you  attempted 
to  take  my  life.  What  shall  I  do  with  you  and 
your  associates  ?" 

The  prime  minister  was  overwhelmed.  He 
fell  upon  his  knees  and  sobbed:  "You  are  in 
wisdom  like  the  Enlightened  One,  the  Omnis 
cient  Tathagata.  Would  that  you  were  his 
equal  also  in  mercy  and  compassion.  Never 
should  you  regret  having  forgiven  me  my 
transgression !" 

King  Kanishka  made  no  answer  but  looked 
round  and  cast  conquering  glances  at  the  sev 
eral  conspirators,  until  they,  one  by  one,  joined 
the  kneeling  prime  minister.  Then  espying 
the  venerable  head  of  Aqvaghosha  among  his 


THE  CONSPIRACY.  91 

audience,  he  approached  the  sage  respectfully 
and  said:  "Now,  most  reverend  sir,  it  is  your 
turn  to  speak,  for  I  want  you  to  tell  me  what 
a  king  ought  to  do  to  those  men  who  conspire 
to  take  his  life.  Would  it  be  wise  for  him  to 
follow  the  behest  of  the  Tathagata  and  to  grant 
them  forgiveness?" 

Said  Agvaghosha :  "Not  I,  sir,  but  you  are 
the  king.  Pronounce  judgment  according  to 
your  own  discretion.  I  cherish  the  confidence 
that  the  seeds  of  kindness  will  fall  here  upon 
good  soil." 

"Thank  you,  venerable  sir.  I  have  learned 
from  the  Great  Teacher  of  all  beings,  that  to 
hate  no  one  is  the  highest  wisdom.  But  a  king 
is  responsible  for  the  welfare  of  his  people  and 
cannot  let  crime  go  unpunished.  The  duty  of 
a  judge  is  justice.  In  the  present  case  I  do  not 
think  that  I  would  condone  your  action  if  it 
were  unmitigated  treason  but  I  see  in  it  a  re 
deeming  feature  which  is  your  patriotism,  mis 
guided  though  it  may  be.  Rise,  gentlemen, 
and  if  you  will  promise  forthwith  to  banish 
from  your  heart  all  falsehood,  spite,  and  envy, 
come  and  shake  hands  with  me  in  token  of  your 


92  AMITABHA. 

faithful  allegiance  to  both  your  august  sover 
eign,  the  king  of  Magadha,  and  myself,  his 
ally  and  brother  on  the  throne." 


THE  MAN-EATING  TIGER. 

PROTESTATIONS  of  fidelity  and  admi 
ration  greeted  King  Kanishka  from  all 
sides  when  he  retired  to  his  private  rooms 
after  having  shaken  hands  with  the  conspira 
tors.  He  had  conquered  his  enemies,  not  by 
the  power  of  arms,  as  he  had  done  before  in 
battle,  but  by  the  superiority  of  his  mind. 

It  was  at  this  moment  that  a  messenger  ar 
rived  who  had  been  sent  by  the  custodian  of 
King  Subahu's  summer  palace,  saying:  "Sir 
King,  send  your  hunters  to  the  summer  palace 
with  elephants  and  soldiers,  for  a  man-eating 
tiger  has  been  seen  in  its  garden  and  parks, 
and  all  the  people  living  in  the  neighborhood 
are  sore  afraid  of  the  beast." 

Then  the  generals  of  the  South  shouted: 
"Great  King  and  Sire,  allow  us  to  go  to  the 
summer  palace  to  hunt  the  tiger;  for  we  are 
anxious  to  distinguish  ourselves  and  prove  to 


94  AMITABHA. 

the  world  that  we  are  valiant  soldiers  and  good 
hunters." 

And  they  received  permission  to  be  the  fore 
most  in  the  hunt,  and  after  a  hasty  preparation 
they  set  out  the  same  evening,  but  the  two 
kings  and  their  retinue  with  many  officers  fol 
lowed  them  on  the  following  day;  Charaka, 
however,  stayed  behind  at  the  command  of 
King  Kanishka,  to  observe  the  courtiers  and 
councilors  of  King  Subahu  and  keep  an  eye 
upon  the  populace  of  the  city,  the  capital  of 
Magadha. 

Charaka  sat  at  a  window  in  company  with 
the  venerable  Agvaghosha  to  see  the  suite  of 
the  two  kings  with  their  hunters  and  elephants 
leaving  the  city,  and  Charaka  addressed  the 
sage,  saying:  "My  reverend  friend,  I  learned 
much  yesterday  from  king  Kanishka  by  watch 
ing  his  mode  of  treating  enemies.  Truly,  I 
understand  the  doctrine  of  the  Tathagata  bet 
ter  now  than  if  I  had  lived  for  many  years  in 
the  monastery  and  studied  all  the  wisdom  of 
the  monks.  How  much  evil  can  be  avoided 
by  discretion,  and  should  not  mortals  blame 
themselves  for  all  the  ills  that  befall  them? 


THE  MAN-HATING  TIGER.  95 

But  there  is  this  doubt  that  vexes  my  mind. 
If  Amitabha,  the  omnipresent,  the  eternal,  the 
omnibeneficent  source  of  all  wisdom,  fashions 
the  world  and  determines  our  destinies,  why 
should  not  life  be  possible  without  suffering? 
However,  the  first  sentence  of  the  four  great 
truths  declares  that  life  itself  is  suffering.  If 
that  be  so,  no  amount  of  discretion  could  give 
us  happiness  so  long  as  we  live.  And,  on  the 
other  hand,  how  can  Amitabha  permit  innu 
merable  things  to  suffer  innocently  for  condi 
tions  which  they  did  not  create  themselves?" 
"My  young  friend,"  replied  Agvaghosha, 
"the  first  great  truth  is  truly  obvious  to  any 
one  who  knows  the  nature  of  life.  Life  con 
sists  of  separation  and  combination;  it  is  a 
constant  meeting  and  parting  and  has  in  store 
both  pains  and  pleasures.  Prove  to  me  that 
life  be  possible  without  any  change,  and  I  will 
begin  to  doubt  the  first  of  the  four  great  truths. 
But  if  life  is  suffering,  no  being  has  a  right  to 
blame  Amitabha  for  existing.  All  beings  exist 
by  their  own  karma;  they  are  the  incarnation 
of  deeds  of  their  former  existences;  they  are 
such  as  they  are  by  their  own  determination, 


96  AMITABHA. 

having  fashioned  themselves  under  the  influ 
ence  of  circumstances. 

"By  Amitabha  all  beings  are  merely  edu 
cated  in  the  school  of  life.  Some  have  gained 
more  insight  than  others.  Some  love  the  light, 
others  hate  it.  Some  rise  to  the  pure  heights 
of  Buddhahood,  and  others  grovel  in  the  dust 
to  take  delight  in  badness  and  deeds  of  dark 
ness.  Amitabha  is  like  the  rain  that  falls  upon 
the  earth  without  discrimination.  The  seeds 
of  herbs  assimilate  the  water  that  falls  from 
the  clouds  of  heaven  in  a  refreshing  spring 
shower,  and  grow  to  be  herbs  each  of  its  kind. 
Fernspores  become  ferns,  acorns  change  the 
water  into  the  leaves  and  wood  and  bark  of 
oak  trees,  and  the  germs  of  fruit  trees  fashion 
it  into  fruit,  each  of  its  own  kind,  into  mangoes, 
bananas,  dates,  figs,  pomegranates,  and  other 
savory  fruits.  Amitabha  is  the  same  to  all, 
as  the  water  of  the  refreshing  rain  is  the  same : 
but  diverse  creatures  make  a  different  use  of 
the  benefits  of  truth,  and  each  one  is  respon 
sible  for  itself.19  Each  one  has  originated  in 
ignorance  by  its  own  blind  impulses,  each  one, 
in  its  own  field  of  experience,  has  learned  the 


THE  MAN-EATING  TIGER.  97 

lesson  of  life  in  its  own  way,  and  each  one  can 
blame  no  one  but  itself  for  what  it  is  and  has 
become — except  that  it  ought  to  be  grateful 
for  the  light  that  Amitabha  sheds  upon  the 
course  of  its  development. 

"Amitabha  is  not  a  god  that  would  assert 
himself  or  care  for  worship  and  adoration. 
He  does  not  think  and  act  and  do  deeds.  He 
is  not  Ishvara,  not  Sakra,  not  Indra,  not 
Brahma:  He  is  the  norm  of  all  existence,  the 
good  law,  the  order  and  intrinsic  harmony 
that  shows  itself  in  cause  and  effect,  in  the 
bliss  of  goodness,  in  the  curse  of  evil-doing. 
He  is  above  all  the  gods,  and  everything  that 
is  has  been  fashioned  by  him  according  to  the 
eternal  ordinances  of  his  constitution. 

"We  are  not  creatures  of  Amitabha,  we  are 
creatures  of  our  own  making.  Life  starts  in 
ignorance.  It  begins  with  blind  impulses,  and 
life's  start  is  life's  own  doing.  But  as  soon 
as  an  impulse  acts  and  is  reacted  upon,  it  is 
encompassed  by  the  good  law  and  thus  it  is 
educated  by  Amitabha  and  raised  by  him  as 
children  are  nourished  by  their  mother  and  in- 


98  AMITABHA. 

structed  by  their  father.  We  are  not  the  crea 
tures  of  Amitabha,  but  his  children.20 

"Ask  thy  own  self,  whether  thou  art  because 
thou  wast  created  by  some  extraneous  power ; 
or  contrariwise  whether  it  is  not  truer  to  say 
that  thou  art  because  thou  dost  will  thy  own 
existence.  Every  man  is  what  he  wills  to  be. 

"Thou  hast  become  what  thou  art  of  neces 
sity  according  to  the  norms  that  constitute 
the  nature  of  Amitabha.  But  thou  grewest 
to  be  what  thou  art  because  thou  wantedst  to 
become  such. 

"Now  if  an  Ishvara  had  created  thee,  thou 
wouldst  not  have  the  feeling  of  freedom  that 
thou  now  hast,  but  thou  wouldst  feel  like  the 
vessel  made  by  the  potter  which  is  what  it  is 
in  spite  of  its  own  like  or  dislike." 

"But  if  I  am  determined  to  love  life/'  asked 
Charaka,  "is  it  wrong  to  do  so  and  shall  I  be 
punished  for  it  by  suffering?" 

Replied  Agvaghosha:  "There  is  neither 
punishment  nor  reward,  my  son,  though  we 
may  use  the  words  in  adapting  our  language 
to  the  common  mode  of  thought.  There  is  only 
cause  and  effect.  The  Tathagata  gave  no  com- 


THE  MAN-EATING  TIGER.  99 

mandments,  for  what  authority  has  any  one 
to  command  his  brother  beings?  The  Tatha- 
gata  revealed  to  us  the  evils  of  life,  and  what 
people  call  the  ten  commandments  are  the  ten 
ways  pointed  out  by  the  Tathagata  how  to 
avoid  the  ten  evils.  He  who  does  not  take  the 
Tathagata's  advice  must  bear  the  conse 
quences.  The  tiger  will  be  hunted  down,  and 
a  murderer  will  be  executed.  Their  fate  is  the 
result  of  their  deeds.  As  to  love  of  life,  there 
is  nothing  wrong  in  it.  If  you  love  life,  you 
must  not  be  afraid  of  suffering.  While  the 
Tathagata  lived  in  the  flesh,  he  was  as  much 
subject  to  pain  as  I  am  and  as  you  are.  But 
when  the  pangs  of  his  last  disease  came  upon 
him  he  bore  them  with  fortitude  and  did  not 
complain.  If  you  love  life,  bear  its  ills  nobly 
and  do  not  break  down  under  its  burdens. 
Avail  yourself  of  the  light  of  Amitabha,  for 
thus  you  can  escape  the  worst  evils  of  life,  the 
contrition  of  regret,  of  remorse,  of  a  bad  con 
science;  and  the  noblest  pleasure  of  life  is  that 
of  becoming  a  lamp  unto  others.  Let  your 
light  shine  in  the  world  and  you  will  be  like 


100  AMITABHA. 

unto  your  master,  Buddha- Amitabha,  the  omni- 
benevolent  source  of  all  illumination." 


THE  BUDDHIST  ABBOT  AND  THE 
BRAHMAN. 

WHILE  King  Kanishka  stayed  at  the 
summer  palace  to  witness  the  tiger 
hunt,  a  Buddhist  abbot  came  to  the  royal  pal 
ace  and  requested  an  interview  with  the  great 
King  Kanishka's  friend ;  and  the  abbot  was  ad 
mitted  into  the  presence  of  Charaka,  who  hap 
pened  to  be  in  the  company  of  some  councilors 
of  King  Subahu,  among  whom  was  Aqva- 
ghosha,  the  saintly  philosopher.  Said  the  ab 
bot:  "I  come  from  the  monastery  in  the  hills 
situated  near  a  Brahman  village  south  of  Be 
nares  and  have  been  sent  by  the  brethren,  the 
venerable  monks  whose  abbot  I  am.  We  know 
that  King  Kanishka  and  you  are  followers  of 
the  Buddha  and  are  steadfast  in  the  orthodox 
faith.  Therefore  we  approach  you  in  confi 
dence  and  hope  that  you  will  lend  your  coun 
tenance  to  us,  endeavoring  to  spread  and  estab- 


102  AMITABHA. 

lish  the  good  law,  the  pure  religion  of  the  Tat- 
hagata.  We  have  settled  in  the  hills,  but  there 
is  a  Shiva  shrine  close  by  and  the  villagers 
continue  to  offer  gifts  to  the  priests  while  the 
venerable  brethren  who  profess  faith  in  the 
glorious  doctrine  of  the  Buddha  are  neglected 
and  sometimes  positively  suffer  from  priva 
tion/' 

"What  can  I  do  about  it  ?"  queried  Charaka. 

"If  the  Shiva  shrine  were  removed,  the  vil 
lagers  would  no  longer  seek  religious  comfort 
through  Brahman  rites  and  would  turn  Bud 
dhists.  We  are  told  that  you  are  a  Buddhist 
monk;  you  will  have  sympathy  with  your  suf 
fering  brethren  and  help  them  to  expel  the  un 
believers/' 

"And  do  you  think/'  objected  Aqvaghosha, 
"that  either  King  Subahu  or  King  Kanishka 
would  lend  you  his  royal  authority  to  interfere 
with  the  religious  service  of  any  one?  No,  my 
friend.  The  Shiva  worshipers  may  be  mis 
taken  in  their  religious  views,  but  they  seek 
the  truth  and  so  long  as  they  do  no  injury  to 
their  neighbors,  their  worship  cannot  be  dis 
turbed.  And  I  do  not  know  but  the  Shiva 


THE  BUDDHIST  ABBOT.  103 

priests  may  in  their  own  way  do  good  service 
to  the  people." 

And  there  was  a  Brahman  present,  one  of 
King  Subahu's  councilors,  who  was  pleased 
with  Agvaghosha's  remark  and  expressed  his 
approval  of  the  principle  of  toleration  which 
the  great  emperor  Agoka  had  proclaimed  in 
one  of  his  edicts  as  a  maxim  of  good  govern 
ment,  and  the  Brahman  added : 

"Do  not  ye,  too,  O  Buddhists,  preach  the 
doctrine  of  the  Brahmans,  that  there  is  a  su 
preme  Lord  Creator  over  all  creatures,  a  divine 
ego-consciousness  of  All-existence?  Whether 
we  call  God  Ishvara,  or  Shiva,  or  Amitabha, 
he  remains  the  same  and  has  a  just  claim  to 
worship." 

Agvaghosha  shook  his  head :  "No,  my  Brah 
man  friend!  The  good  law  is  supreme,  and 
it  is  a  father  omnibenevolent  as  we  rightly 
designate  it.  It  is  the  norm  of  existence,  the 
standard  of  truth,  the  measure  of  righteous 
ness  ;  but  that  norm  is  not  an  Ishvara,  neither 
Shiva,  nor  Brahma.  Here  is  the  difference 
between  Ishvara  and  Amitabha:  Ishvara  is 
deified  egotism ;  he  demands  worship  and 


104  AMITABHA. 

praise.  Amitabha  is  love,  he  is  free  from  the 
vanity  of  egoism  and  is  only  anxious  for  his 
children  that  they  should  avail  themselves  of 
the  light  and  shun  the  darkness,  that  they 
should  follow  his  advice  and  walk  in  the  path 
of  righteousness.  Ishvara  calls  sin  what  is 
contrary  to  his  will;  he  loves  to  be  addressed 
in  prayer  and  he  delights  in  listening  to  the 
praises  of  his  worshipers.  Not  so  Amitabha. 
Amitabha  cares  not  for  prayer,  is  indifferent 
to  worship,  and  cannot  be  flattered  by  praise, 
but  the  good  law  is  thwarted  when  his  children 
err ;  and  Amitabha  appears  to  be  wrapt  in  sad 
ness  by  the  evil  results  of  their  mistakes;  not 
for  his  sake — for  he  is  eternal  and  remains  the 
same  forevermore — but  for  the  sake  of  the 
sufferings  of  all  sentient  creatures,  for  all  crea 
tures  are  his  disciples,  he  guides  them,  he 
teaches  them,  he  encompasses  them.  He  is 
like  a  father  unto  them.  So  far  as  they  par 
take  of  his  nature,  they  are  his  children." 

Said  the  Brahman :  "I  for  one  do  not  believe 
that  Ishvara,  or  Brahma,  or  whatever  you  may 
call  God,  is  a  person  such  as  we  are.  He  is  a 
higher  kind  of  personality,  which  however  in- 


THE  BUDDHIST  ABBOT.  105 

eludes  the  faculties  of  perception,  judgment 
and  reason.  I  believe  therefore  that  the  Bud 
dhist  faith  is  lacking  in  this,  that  its  devotees 
think  of  Amitabha  as  deficient  in  self-con 
sciousness.  Buddhist  ethics  are  noble,  but  are 
human  deeds  the  highest  imaginable?  Since 
the  godhead  is  greater  than  man,  the  highest 
bliss  will  forever  remain  a  union  with  Brahma, 
or  Ishvara,  or  Sakra,  or  whatever  you  may 
call  the  great  Unknown  and  Unknowable,  who 
has  revealed  himself  in  the  Vedas  and  is  pleased 
with  the  prayers  and  sacrifices  of  the  pious 
who  express  their  faith  in  worship." 

"When  I  was  young/'  replied  Agvaghosha, 
"I  was  a  Brahman  myself;  I  believed  in 
Brahma  the  Supreme  Being,  the  Creator  of 
and  Lord  over  all  the  worlds  that  exist.  I  know 
there  is  much  that  is  good  in  the  Brahman 
faith,  and  I  did  not  abandon  it  because  I  deemed 
it  bad  or  injurious.  I  abandoned  it,  because  the 
doctrine  of  the  Tathagata  was  superior,  all- 
comprehensive,  and  more  profound*,  for  it  ex 
plains  the  problems  of  existence,  its  whence 
and  whither,  and  is  more  helpful.  The  doctrine 
of  the  Tathagata  is  practical  and  not  in  the 


106  AMITABHA. 

air  as  are  the  theories  and  speculations  of  the 
Brahmans.  You  seek  a  union  with  Brahma, 
and  what  is  he?  We  may  dispute  his  existence 
and  no  one  can  refute  us.  He  is  an  idea,  a 
metaphysical  assumption,  and  his  mansion  is 
everywhere  and  nowhere.  Thus  the  Tatha- 
gata  says  that  those  who  believe  in  Brahma 
are  like  a  man  who  should  make  a  staircase 
where  four  roads  meet,  to  mount  up  high  into 
a  mansion  which  he  can  neither  see  nor  know 
how  it  is,  where  it  is,  what  it  is  built  of,  nor 
whether  it  exists  at  all.  The  priests  claim 
the  authority  of  the  Vedas,  and  the  Vedas  are 
based  upon  the  authority  of  the  authors  who 
wrote  them,  and  these  authors  rely  on  the 
authority  of  Brahma.  They  are  like  a  string 
of  blind  men  clinging  to  one  another  and  lead 
ing  the  blind,  and  their  method  of  salvation 
consists  in  adoration,  worship,  and  prayer.21 
It  is  a  doctrine  for  children,  and  though  the 
words  of  their  theory  are  high-sounding  they 
are  not  the  truth  but  a  mere  shadow  of  the 
truth;  and  in  this  sense  the  Tathagata  com 
pared  them  to  the  monkey  at  the  lake  who  tries 


THE  BUDDHIST  ABBOT.  107 

to  catch  the  moon  in  the  water,  mistaking  the 
reflection  for  the  reality/' 

"But  would  not  all  your  arguments,"  replied 
the  Brahman,  "if  I  were  to  grant  them,  apply 
with  the  same  force  to  Amitabha?  What  is 
the  difference  whether  we  say  Brahma  or  Ami 
tabha  ?  Both  are  names  for  the  Absolute." 

"There  would  be  no  difference  in  the  names 
if  we  understood  the  same  by  both.  Brahma, 
the  Absolute,  is  generally  interpreted  to  mean 
Being  in  general,  but  Amitabha  is  Enlighten 
ment.  We  do  not  hanker  after  existence,  but 
we  worship  truth,  goodness,  and  purity. 

"By  Amitabha  we  understand  the  eternal, 
infinite  light,  i.  e.,  the  spiritual  light  of  com 
prehension,  and  this  light  is  a  reality.  No  one 
doubts  that  there  is  a  norm  of  truth  and  a 
standard  of  right  and  wrong.  That  is  Ami 
tabha.  We  may  not  yet  know  all  about  Ami 
tabha;  our  wisdom  is  limited;  our  goodness 
is  not  perfect.  But  we  ground  ourselves  upon 
that  which  we  do  know,  while  you  Brahmans 
start  with  speculations,  seeking  a  union  with 
the  Absolute,  which  is  a  vague  idea,  something 
unknown  and  unknowable.  Amitabha  is  cer- 


108  AMITABHA. 

tainly  not  a  limited  self-consciousness,  but  an 
infinite  principle,  an  omnipresent  law,  an  eter 
nal  norm,  higher  than  any  individual,  but  the 
depth  of  this  norm  is  unfathomable,  its  appli 
cation  universal  and  infinite;  its  bountiful  use 
immeasurable. 

"We  know  something  but  not  all  about  Ami- 
tabha.  He  is  the  Dharmakaya,  the  embodi 
ment  of  the  good  law.  He  is  the  Nirmana- 
kaya,  the  aspiration  to  reach  bodhi  in  the  trans 
formations  of  the  evolution  of  life.  He  is  the 
Sambhogakaya,  the  bliss  of  good  deeds.22  The 
philosophers,  scientists,  poets,  of  the  future, 
the  thinkers  and  dreamers  of  mankind,  will 
find  in  Amitabha  a  wonderful  source  of  in 
spiration  which  can  never  be  exhausted.  The 
Tathagata's  religion  is  not  mere  metaphysics, 
his  philosophy  is  not  mere  mythology.  He  al 
lows  metaphysics  and  mythology  their  spheres, 
but  urges  the  practical  issues  of  life.  Thus 
his  religion  comprises  all  without  becoming 
vague." 

Said  the  Brahman:  "How  can  so  many  con 
tradictory  things  be  united  in  one?" 

And  Agvaghosha,    replied:    "My  venerable 


THE  BUDDHIST  ABBOT.  109 

teacher,  the  saintly  sage  Parsva,  once  told  me 
the  parable  of  the  elephant  which  explains  the 
relation  of  the  truth  to  the  sundry  doctrines 
held  by  the  several  sects  and  schools,  priests 
and  philosophers,  prophets  and  preachers. 

The  Brahman  said  that  he  had  never  heard 
the  story,  and  expressed  his  desire  to  hear  it. 


THE  PARABLE  OF  THE  ELEPHANT. 

A  CVAGHOSHA  saw  that  every  eye  was 
J-~*-  intent  upon  him,  and  so  he  told  the  story 
of  the  white  Elephant.  He  said: 

"There  was  a  noble  and  mighty  elephant,  an 
elephant  white  in  color,  with  a  strong  trunk 
and  long  tusks,  trained  by  a  good  master,  and 
willing  and  serviceable  in  all  the  work  that  ele 
phants  are  put  to.  And  this  noble  and  mighty 
elephant  being  led  by  his  guide,  the  good  mas 
ter  who  had  trained  him,  came  to  the  land  of 
the  blind.  And  it  was  noised  about  in  the  land 
of  the  blind  that  the  noble  and  mighty  elephant, 
the  king  of  all  beasts,  the  wisest  of  all  animals, 
the  strongest  and  yet  the  meekest  and  kind 
liest  of  creatures,  had  made  his  appearance 
in  their  country.  So  the  wise  men  and  teach 
ers  of  the  blind  came  to  the  place  where  the 
elephant  was  and  every  one  began  to  investi 
gate  his  shape  and  figure  and  form.  And  when 


THE  PARABLE  OF  THE  ELEPHANT.   Ill 

the  elephant  was  gone  they  met  and  discussed 
the  problem  of  the  noble  and  mighty  beast, 
and  there  were  some  who  said  he  was  like  a 
great  thick  snake;  others  said  he  was  like 
a  snake  of  medium  size.  The  former  had  felt 
the  trunk,  the  latter  the  tail.  Further  there 
were  some  who  claimed  that  his  figure  was 
like  that  of  a  high  column,  others  declared  he 
was  large  and  bulky  like  a  big  barrel,  still  oth 
ers  maintained  he  was  smooth  and  hard  but 
tapering.  Some  of  the  blind  had  taken  hold 
of  one  of  the  legs,  others  had  reached  the  main 
body,  and  still  others  had  touched  the  tusks. 
Every  one  proposed  his  view  and  they  disputed 
and  controverted,  and  wrangled,  and  litigated, 
and  bickered,  and  quarreled,  and  called  each 
other  names,  and  each  one  imprecated  all  the 
others,  and  each  one  denounced  all  the  others, 
and  they  abused  and  scolded,  and  they  ana 
thematised  and  excommunicated,  and  finally 
every  one  of  them  swore  that  every  one  else 
was  a  liar  and  was  cursed  on  account  of  his 
heresies.  These  blind  men,  every  one  of  them 
honest  in  his  contentions,  being  sure  of  having 
the  truth  and  relying  upon  his  own  experience, 


112  AMITABHA. 

formed  schools  and  sects  and  factions  and  be 
haved  in  exactly  the  same  way  as  you  see  the 
priests  of  the  different  creeds  behave.  But  the 
master  of  the  noble,  mighty  elephant  knows 
them  all,  he  knows  that  every  one  of  them  has 
a  parcel  of  the  truth,  that  every  one  is  right  in 
his  way,  but  wrong  in  taking  his  parcel  to  be 
the  whole  truth. 

"Not  one  of  these  sectarians  observed  the 
fact  that  the  elephant  was  perfectly  white  and 
a  marvel  to  see,  for  all  of  them  were  purblind. 
Yet  I  would  not  say  that  they  were  either  dis 
honest  or  hypocrites.  They  had  investigated 
the  truth  to  the  best  of  their  ability. 

"The  master  of  the  elephant  is  the  Tatha- 
gata,  the  Enlightened  One,  the  Buddha.  He 
has  brought  the  white  elephant  representing 
the  truth,  the  noble  and  mighty  elephant,  sym 
bolising  strength  and  wisdom  and  devotion, 
into  the  land  of  the  blind,  and  he  who  listens 
to  the  Tathagata  will  understand  all  the 
schools,  and  all  the  sects  and  all  the  factions 
that  are  in  possession  of  parcels  of  the  truth. 
His  doctrine  is  all-comprehensive,  and  he  who 


THE  PARABLE  OF  THE  ELEPHANT.       113 

takes  refuge  in  Him  will  cease  to  bicker,  and  to 
contend,  and  to  quarrel."23 


When  Agvaghosha  had  finished  the  par 
able  of  the  noble  and  mighty  elephant,  the  two 
kings  returned  from  the  summer  palace  carry 
ing  with  them  in  a  solemn  procession  the  slain 
tiger,  and  close  behind  on  a  white  charger 
decked  with  garlands  and  gay  ribbons,  rode 
the  hero  of  the  day,  one  of  the  generals  from 
the  South,  whose  dart  had  struck  the  tiger 
with  fatal  precision  and  death-dealing  power. 

"Behold  the  hero  of  the  day!"  said  Charaka. 
"And  had  the  conspiracy  not  miscarried  the 
same  man  might  now  be  an  assassin  and  a 
miscreant." 

"There  is  a  lesson  in  it!"   replied  Aqva- 

/  ghosha,  "existence  is  not  desirable  for  its  own 

sake.     That  which  gives  worth  to  life  is  the 

*    purpose  to  which  it  is  devoted.  -  jb<n*** 

"Our  aim  is  not  to  live,  but  whether  we  die 
or  live,  to  avoid  wrong  doing  and  to  let  right 
and  justice  and  lovingkindness  prevail.  Says 
the  Tathagata : 


114  AMITABHA. 

"Commit  no  wrong,  but  good  deeds  do, 
And  let  thy  heart  be  pure. 
All  Buddhas  teach  this  doctrine  true 
Which  will  for  aye  endure."24 


THE  DOUBLE  WEDDING. 


found  by  degrees  and  not 
without  difficulties  his  mental  equilib 
rium,  which  his  friend  Kanishka  seemed  to 
possess  naturally.  He  unburdened  his  heart 
to  the  saintly  old  man  and  arrived  at  the  con 
viction  that  he  was  not  made  for  a  monk  and 
that  his  duties  of  life  according  to  his  disposi 
tion  lay  in  other  fields. 

In  the  meantime  King  Kanishka  had  sent  a 
messenger  to  Matura  his  chancellor  and  vice 
gerent  at  Gandhara,  to  bring  Princess  Kama- 
lavati  to  Benares. 

Princess  Kamalavati  arrived,  and  when  her 
betrothal  to  Charaka  was  announced  the  happy 
events  of  our  story  reached  their  climax.  Ag- 
vaghosha  solemnised  the  nuptials  of  both  coup 
les,  Kanishka  with  Bhadragri,  and  Charaka 
with  Kamalavati  ;  and  he  read  to  them  from  the 
Dhammapada  the  famous  stanza: 


116  AMITABHA. 

"Sweet  in  the  world  is  fatherhood, 
And  motherhood  is  sweet ; 
But  sweeter  is  the  thought  of  good, 
If  nobly  our  heart  beat. 

"Sweeter,  a  life  to  old  age  spent 
In  truth  and  purity ; 
Sweeter,  to  reach  enlightenment 
And  keep  from  evil  free/'25 

When  the  marriage  ceremony  was  over  a 
feast  was  spread  at  the  royal  palace,  and  King 
Kanishka  declared  that  he  had  a  great  respect 
for  priests,  but  did  not  favor  the  idea  that  his 
friend,  the  physician  royal,  should  resign  his 
calling  of  wizard  (as  he  was  wont  to  call  him) 
for  the  sake  of  becoming  a  monk.  While  there 
were  plenty  of  good  and  honest  men  to  wear 
the  yellow  robe,  there  was  scarcely  one  man 
among  a  million  who  could  perform  miracles 
and  save  human  lives,  as  Charaka  had  done. 

Charaka  denied  that  he  was  a  wizard.  His 
art  was  no  magic  but  consisted  simply  in  obser 
vation  and  experiment,  and  it  was  nature 
whose  forces  he  had  learned  to  guide;  but  for 
all  that  he  accomplished  things  which  astounded 


THE  DOUBLE  WEDDING.  117 

the  world.  They  were  better  than  the  miracles 
of  magicians,  for  they  were  more  useful  and  of 
enduring  benefit  to  mankind. 

When  his  friends  praised  him,  he  replied: 
"My  science  is  a  beginning  only  and  what  I 
accomplish  is  the  work  of  a  tyro.  The  Tatha- 
gata  has  preached  the  religion  of  enlighten 
ment,  he  set  the  wheel  rolling;  it  is  now  our 
duty  to  follow  up  his  thought,  to  spread  en 
lightenment,  and  to  increase  it.  Amitabha  is 
infinite,  and  thus  the  possibilities  of  invention 
are  inexhaustible.  The  wondrous  things  which 
man  is  able  to  do,  and  which  he  will  do  in  the 
ages  to  come,  can  at  present  only  be  surmised 
by  the  wisest  sages. 

"But  greater  than  the  greatest  feats  of  in 
vention  will  be  the  application  of  the  Lord  Bud 
dha's  maxim  of  loving-kindness  in  all  fields  of 
human  intercourse,  in  family  life,  in  politics, 
in  labor  and  social  affairs,  in  our  dealings  with 
friends  and  foes,  with  animals,  and  even  with 
the  degenerate  and  criminal.  The  enlighten 
ment  of  our  souls  is  most  important.  There 
fore  we  praise  the  Tathagata  above  all  other 
things. 


118  AMITABHA. 

"Bright  shineth  the  sun  in  his  splendor  by  day 
And  bright  the  moon's  radiance  by  night, 
Bright  shineth  the  hero  in  battle  array, 
And  the  sage  in  his  thought  shineth  bright. 
But  by  day  and  by  night,  none  so  glorious  so  bright 
As  Lord  Buddha,  the  source  of  all  spiritual  light." 


-**    £*    &-&t**Ac^&s*>t 


&t»-&j  <4t4*^  <*70^4S 

' 


NOTES. 

Page  i. 

xFor  details  of  the  pabbajja  (or  initiation)  and  the  upa- 
sampada  (or  ordination)  see  Mahavagga,  first  khandaka  (5*. 
B.  £.,  Val.  XIII). 

Page  3. 

*  The  time  of  our  story  is  the  fifth  century  after  the  Bud 
dha's  enlightenment,  which  corresponds  to  the  first  century 
of  the  Christian  era. 

Page  6. 

'Cf.  "Buddhist  Chants  and  Processions,"  Journal  of  the 
Buddhist  Text  Society  of  India,  Vol.  Ill,  Part  II. 

Page  10. 

'Dhammapada,  21. 
"  Dhammapada,  223. 

Page  ii. 
9  Dhammapada,  134. 

7  Dhammapada,  313. 
"Dhammapada,  258;  240. 

Page  12. 

8  Dhammapada,  254. 

Page  31. 

"Kevaddha's  story  is  an  abbreviated  account  of  an  an 
cient  Buddhist  Pali  text.  The  verses  as  well  as  other  details 
are  almost  literally  translated.  Cf.  Henry  Warren's  Bud 
dhism  in  Translations,  pp.  308-313. 


120  AMITABHA. 


Page  32. 

11  Uposatha,  or  confession,  was  held  regularly  on  the  days 
of  the  full  and  the  new  moon.  For  a  detailed  account  of  the 
ceremony  see  Mahavagga,  second  Khandhaka  (S.  B.  E.,  Vol. 
XIII). 

Page  40. 
"The  Greeks. 

Page  56. 

13  Padhana  sutta,  16.    S.  B.  E.,  X,  p.  71. 

Page  64. 

14  Dhammapada,  151. 

Page  74- 

15  Cf.  T.   Suzuki's  translation  of  Ac.vaghosha's  Discourse 
on  the  Awakening  of  Faith  in  the  Mahayana,  pp.  101,  142  et 
seq.     The  term  "highest  truth"  is  called  by  Ac.vaghosha  in 
Sanskrit  paramarthasatya. 

"Compare  Samuel  Beal's  Abstract  of  Form  Lectures  on 
Buddhist  literature  in  China,  p.  177,  where  we  read:  "He 
who  is  possessed  of  the  highest  self,  he  is  able  to  see  Buddha. 
Buddha,  although  he  dwell  in  the  world,  can  be  seen  by  none 
but  those  possessed  of  this  highest  self.  Maharaja!  Most 
true  it  is  that  though  Buddha  has  attained  Nirvana,  yet  may 
you  behold  him." 

Page  87. 

17  Dhammapada  5. 

Page  89. 

18  For  full  accounts  of  Prince  Long-life  see  Mahavagga,X, 
3-20.  (Sacred  Books  of  the  East,  Vol.  XVII.) 

Page  96. 

19  TheSaddharmapun darika,  chapter  7. 


NOTES.  121 


Page  98. 

20  Amitabha  (and  with  him  Buddha)  is  never  called  Crea 
tor,  but  he  is  frequently  addressed  as  "Father."     See  the  Sad- 
dharmapundarika,  III,  97,  104,  and  the  Fo-sho-hing-tsan-king, 
III,  15,  1231. 

Page  106. 

21  The  simile  of  the  blind  leader  of  the  blind  occurs  in  the 
same  connection  in  the  Tevijja  Sutta,  15. 

Page  1 08. 

22  For  the  details  of  Agvaghosha's  doctrine  of  the  triple 
aspect  of  the  highest  truth  (so  similar  to  the  Christian  trin 
ity)  as  the  Kaya  (i.  e.,  body  or  personality)  of  (i)  the  good 
law,  (2)  transformation,  (3)  bliss,  see  T.  Suzuki's  translation 
of  Agvaghosha's  Discourse  on  the  Awakening  of  Faith,  Chi 
cago,  1900,  pp.  99-101. 

Page  113. 
25  The  Udana,  VI. 

Page  114. 

24  Dhammapada,  183 

Page  116. 

25  Dhammapada,  332-333. 


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